Life drawing with Niel Bally, Talgarth, Wales
Niel’s studio, filled with natural light and the paraphernalia of a serious artist, showed me how important a dedicated creative space is and I just love being there. After my first visit around 2010, I made myself a commitment that one day I too would have such a space. At times of intense pressure during my professional career, I would escape to Niel’s studio and calm myself. Frequently, I would go there in my head as a way of stepping out of reality to what has always felt like a safe space.
Niel’s life drawing weekends are held three to four times a year and involve 3 consecutive days of drawing from the model 10.00am to 4.00pm. There’s a core group of around 10 artists who regularly attend, and there’s always one or two new faces. A lovely rhythm establishes itself as we start each day with a series of short poses to loosen up, working up to much longer studies in the afternoon. There’s usually some hilarious debate while we try to work out the poses! The day is interrupted with lots of breaks for coffee, tea and cake. We always share a delicious, healthy lunch together at a big refectory table in Niel and Sue’s beautiful dining hall. I’ve made good friends through a shared love of drawing.
Using diverse visual references of other artists’ work, Niel encourages us all to build technical skill and develop our creative expression. I’ve now have an expensive habit in Unison chalk pastels thanks to Niel and am slowly becoming more comfortable with handling colour. He has a sharp eye and a very gentle manner and always manages to land the right balance of encouragement and fair critique! Over the three days, the walls of the studio become covered with our collective drawings and the energy in the room can be electric. You always learn a lot from the other artists around you too.
Attending these intensive life drawing sessions regularly over 15 years has given me an essential foundation in drawing. It’s taken many, many hours wrangling what I see on to the page and I’ve often struggled. But, the effort has paid off and I can now draw with a degree of confidence that is entirely due to Niel’s patient and skilful teaching. Read my next blog to find out more.