Q-C classes let artists draw nudes

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By Kay Luna | Friday, November 9, 2007 11:39 PM CST | () comments

Jeremy Murphy of Bettendorf and Kathy Betcher of Rock Island work on their drawings of nude model Rebekah Leon of Moline during a class at the Leger Fine Arts Gallery in Davenport. (John Schultz/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

VIDEO: Drawing the Nude
Artists in the Q-C area are honing their skills by working with nude models…
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She squints, stepping into the bright spotlights, where a mattress covered in white bedding awaits.

With a small audience in a semi-circle around her, 39-year-old Rebekah Leon slowly takes off her glasses.

Then, she slips off her silky green robe — and she’s wearing nothing underneath.

She, admittedly, is not a supermodel. She worries about her “misshapenness,” Leon said.

But when that robe comes off, the Moline woman’s insecurities melt away.

“We all look basically the same,” she added, “and it’s nice to be appreciated.”

Leon — an unmarried waitress, bartender, caregiver and soon-to-be massage therapist — has posed as a nude model off and on for years, but only for artists interested in drawing or painting the human figure.

It’s a centuries-old tradition in the art world, famously depicted when Jack draws Rose in the movie “Titanic.”

And it’s common among artists in the Quad-Cities, too.

Classes and open studio sessions are held not only at the Leger Fine Art Gallery in downtown Davenport, where Leon posed last week, but also at the Figge Art Museum, Augustana College, Black Hawk College and other locations.

The artists repeatedly stress that it’s not about sexuality. It’s about re-creating the shapes, proportions and expressions of the human body, without having clothing get in the way.

“The human figure is the hardest thing in the world to draw,” artist Gary Burlingame said. “It’s made up of complex structures. It’s a very complex, beautiful thing.

“It’s an exercise in trying to reproduce the figure. It’s a challenge.”

Jason Frank, a stay-at-home dad with a degree from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, facilitates the open studio sessions from 6 to 9 p.m. every Thursday at the Leger, 228 W. 3rd St.

He began the sessions about two months ago as an economical way for artists to practice drawing nudes, charging participants $10 per session. The models are paid $15 per hour, which ends up being $45 per night.

Nine artists set up their easels in the gallery for last week’s session, which, Frank said, drew a bigger crowd than usual.

The room fell nearly silent when the model walked in, ready for Frank to direct her on how to pose.

Models usually do a couple of quick poses — lasting about 10 minutes each — before the facilitator puts them in one they can hold for 30-40 minutes. Sometimes, the models lie back and fall asleep, Frank said.

And the artists, who come from “all different skill levels,” he says, are captivated, working hard to recreate the proportions and depth correctly.

Some draw. Some paint. It’s all for fun. No one critiques another’s work, he said.

“I think if you can draw the human figure, you can pretty much draw anything,” artist Kathy Betcher said. “It’s the toughest thing to draw.”

Burlingame attends sessions at the Leger, but he also facilitates the open studio class at the Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport. That class lasts six weeks and costs $75 for museum members, $90 for nonmembers.

What’s fun about such sessions is that a different model poses each time, giving the artists new fodder for their sketchbooks. Each gallery and school tends to have a core of “regulars” who model, including men and women of all ages and sizes, he said.

For Amanda Robinson, who draws as a hobby, “it’s about trying to catch the essence of a person.” Flipping through her sketchbook of charcoal drawings, she opens to a page that shows a young woman sitting in a chair.

That particular woman — 24-year-old Jennie Gardner of Rock Island — is interesting to draw because she always strikes good poses and her face is full of expression, Robinson said.

Gardner majored in art at Western Illinois University and has been modeling for about five years for drawing classes at area colleges and art galleries. She does it as one of her contributions to the art world — and the money isn’t bad, either.

“It’s a little weird at first. You kind of get used to it,” she said. “People are looking at you in shapes and proportion and things like that, and it’s always a very respectful environment.”

For Leon, the chance to model for art classes makes her feel good about her middle-age body.

After each pose, she slips her robe back on and walks around the room, looking over the side of the artists’ easels to see their drawings.

“It’s liberating,” she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “You have to love yourself, no matter what you look like.”

She fidgets with her glasses, pulling her legs up under her robe as she waits for her next pose.

Kay Luna can be contacted at (563) 383-2323 or kluna@qctimes.com

VIEW THEIR WORK

Some artists say they let their nude sketches and paintings stack up at home rather than risk offending others by hanging them on a wall.

Well, not these artists.

Not on this night.

Several pieces of artwork produced during weekly studio sessions at the Leger Fine Art Gallery in downtown Davenport will be on display Nov. 24 at the Coffee Dive, 226 W. 3rd St., Davenport.

The drawings will hang on the walls during a “Poetry Slam/Open Mic Night” event, which begins at 6 p.m. at the coffee shop, co-owner Joe Erenberger said.

Prizes will be handed out to the best original poets, musicians and artists who participate, he added.

For more information about the event, call the coffee shop at (563) 324-1536. For more information about the gallery’s drawing classes, call Jason Franks at (563) 650-0822 or send an e-mail to motobisket@aol.com.