LYNN – Nearly every Tuesday night for the past year and a half, a group of artists has met in the LynnArts gallery. Annette Sykes hires a model for the evening, and the Life Drawing gang goes to work.
Friday, July 13, the fruits of their labors go on display. An opening reception for the exhibition “Life Drawing and Other Figurative Art” will be held in the gallery from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“The models, he or she, pose or does a series of poses. It’s important for artists to draw from models,” said Sykes. “It helps the artist learn about anatomy and proportions of figure.”
“It’s interesting what the artist sees and what he or she draws. I also find there is a sense of calm and centeredness during these sessions,” added Sykes. “One gets a sense of community, too. I’ve made some amazing friends through this process.”
Sykes, curatorial chair for LynnArts and noted painter, said she started drawing four or five years ago. “You would look at my drawings and say, ‘Oh, this woman shouldn’t even bother,'” she said, then laughed. “But as you put the time into it, you get better and your ability grows. That’s true of anything.”
She stands in front of a stunning drawing of a nude female by Freda Nemirovsky, an artist with a studio in the Lydia Pinkham Building, and points to a finely-detailed drawing of a male by Rickey Schwed of Marblehead. “These are remarkable works by two local artists who have excelled for a long time.”
“Remembrance,” Emmanuelle le Gal’s portrait of her late mother, who battled Alzheimer’s, also stands out among these works. One looks closely and discovers that the woman’s face is made up entirely of words like “love,” “life,” “wife” and “mother.”
Sykes, a Lynn Tech teacher, thanked Lynn Museum/LynnArts for making the space available and the Lynn Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council for a grant that funded new easels and several free Life Drawing “drop-in” nights.
Schwed and fellow artist Chris Murray assisted
Sykes in curating and installing the exhibit.
Those attending Friday’s opening reception will also have a chance to create. A “Draw Your Friend” station has been set up with sketch pads on easels and a place where a friend can sit and pose.
There will also be refreshments, featuring appetizers by Sykes and treats by Schwed, who will provide a whipped cream machine, cake and fruit.
“Life Drawing and Other Figurative Art,” at LynnArts gallery, 25 Exchange St., Friday, July 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit runs through August 3.
Check out a photo gallery from the opening night of “Life Drawing and Other Figurative Art” here.
