As part of our bicentenary project, Celebrating Together, George Donald RSA is travelling across Scotland to deliver a series of one-day life drawing classes and school workshops, highlighting the importance of life drawing to the history of the Academy.
George is a painter, printmaker and lecturer in studio arts. He’s a visiting professor of Anatomy and Drawing at the University of Central Florida and the University of the Arts, London, and he’s taught in many overseas universities. From June to September, George is teaching life drawing skills and techniques across Scotland, travelling from the Borders to Shetland with his trusty model skeleton in tow! The workshops are being hosted by some of the partner organisations that make up the network of venues celebrating our bicentenary with us. The first of our life drawing workshops took place earlier in the Summer in Dumfries with OutPost Arts as part of their Art Journal project.
The Art Journal supports adults from across Dumfries and Galloway who are experiencing barriers, such as chronic conditions and/or mobility issues, caring responsibilities or mental health issues. Through creative activities, participants build confidence, connect with their creative selves and develop tools for wellbeing.
RSA200 Life Drawing Programme. Images OutPost Arts
Liz McQueen from OutPost Arts explains: ‘Access to the Royal Scottish Academy isn't easy for our participants in Dumfries & Galloway as many are facing real barriers to participation. Having the RSA come to us was just wonderful.'
George Donald really enjoyed his time teaching in Dumfries: ‘From a brief study of the skeleton, to plotting the major muscle systems and proceeding to detailed examinations of facial features, hands and feet, we accomplished a heck of a lot in one, hard-working day… and to a high standard!
‘We discovered that a deeper understanding of the complexities of the body, rather than restricting our expressive adventures, gives us lots of visual ideas and much more material to demonstrate the grace and strength, the eloquence and rhythms of the human form, and it increases our skills in visual expressiveness.’
Many of the participants had no previous experience drawing from a life model, but they left feeling confident and inspired. One wrote ‘such a wonderfully special day! George was inspiring; it was a joy to learn from him. His approach coupled with anatomical knowledge and understanding was so impressive.’
Liz McQueen said the workshop was 'a high point of everything they've been learning and creating together so far. George was so warm and generous, putting everyone at ease from the start. Watching his knowledge and skill in action was simply fascinating.’
We’re delighted to be able to deliver these opportunities across Scotland with support from Museums Galleries Scotland as part of RSA200: Celebrating Together. Find out more about the huge variety of exhibitions, events and activities taking place across Scotland here.
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