26 Jul Portrait Drawing Workshop
Taught by Rusty Parenteau
Saturday September 22, 11am -4pm
Drawing and coloring are some of my earliest memories. In my early teen years. I seriously wished I could learn how to draw people. As it happened, my brother in law was studying for his mortuary science exam – he had to reconstruct a face in clay from a photograph. He needed to get ready to work on getting a person’s face ready for an open casket funeral, if necessary. He didn’t stay in the funeral business, went on to be a radio announcer (night shift). For me, I got permission from my dad, the local pastor, to talk with the local undertaker, (they worked together a lot) and see if I could learn exactly how this was done: Make a face in clay from a photo. The undertaker was kind enough to give me a tour and allow me to borrow the same text book my brother in law had used to pass his exam. I learned the main point in “drawing” a portrait is to measure. Each of us has the same features, mostly in the same place as everyone else. As my college art mentor and teacher Ruth Seifert said, “We are who we are by the shadows we cast.” Where we draw those features, and draw those cast shadows, are how we make that portrait exactly the person we need it to be. Drawing from our heart makes that person come to life.
Please join us for the Portrait Drawing Workshop, Sat September 22, 11am -4pm. A supplies list is available at the front desk.
