The Figure Drawing Session. Skip Rohde, artist
An opening reception will be held Saturday, February 4, from 5–8 p.m. at Pink Dog Gallery for an exhibition titled The Nude: Beauty, Grace and Form. Celebrating the Human Figure. Asheville area artists Bonnie Currie, Cyrus Glance, Joseph Pearson, Skip Rohde, Josh Tripoli and Leaflin Lore Winecoff will display works of varying approaches with mediums that include painting, collage, ink wash drawing and mixed media. The exhibition lasts through April 1.
“Visitors can expect an exciting and interesting display of varied interpretations of the human figure,” says Pearson. “While each artist’s work is different, the common thread is the nakedness of the human body.” He hopes that viewers see nakedness “as a unifying factor of our common humanity regardless of race.”
Swamp Magnolia. Bonnie Currie, artist
Five of the six participating artists are regular participants of the open life drawing sketch sessions at Rusty Lotus Dojo, where Currie and Winecoff are co-directors of the sketch sessions. Currie sees nude interpretations of the human body as representative of creation, life, death and love—a factor in their historical attraction for viewers and artists alike. “The nude is the representation of human vulnerability,” she says. “Within all of its lines are our personal experiences. The lines tell a story. As an artist I also find the many shapes the body can take on to be fascinating. Depicting those shapes in art is an endless journey that gives me joy.”
Rohde also holds a weekly life session in his studio, with half of the sessions nude and half-clothed. “This is an exercise in observation,” he says, “creating a 3D form, capturing something of a personality and creating an interesting piece of art. Those four exercises are not always in synch. The other reason is to create a story, and the nude form is sometimes appropriate for any variety of reasons.”
Pink Dog Gallery is located at 348 Depot Street, Asheville. Learn more at PinkDog-Creative.com.
