Yesterday saw two Artist Safari events in the one day – the first being an experimental weekday visit to the museum. Then this, the second, a mid-evening virtual meeting. Lots of fun. Organised (ok sprung on us) by Jeff Bryant , the idea was that we all turn up at the Artist Safari chatroom at 8pm, with drawing materials in hand, to await instructions. What then? He announces that we’re off to Italy to draw the Basilica… “Click here,” the screen said. I did:
Then, in between lots of chatting, we drew what we could see. It’s actually really good ‘cos the Google map can zoom and pan pretty much instantly.
I went in a bit and panned until I was more or less looking at something that was one point perspective. I know, I know what happened to the clause in the manifesto about getting out of one’s comfort zone? Well I was. I had chattering family, a cat winding around my monitor, two dogs scratching at the door (undecided, at five minute intervals, as to whether they wanted in or out) and a grumbling tummy – no dinner yet. It’s amazing I drew anything at all. In fact it was amazing that I was there at all. (After the hour and a plus drive home from the city I’d gotten straight back into Winckelmann forgetting about the promise to be online at 8pm…)
The Basilica, it turned out, was more or less a warm up drawing followed by another link, this time we were standing on a bridge in Firenze.
Still in Italy it seemed really appropriate when a family member took pity on my trying to draw, chat, read notes and type an essay (simultaneously) all on an empty stomach, and dropped a plate in front of me with, you guessed it: pasta. So that was it. A scratchy warm up Basilica and an unfinished Firenze. Oh, an evening with Wincklemann. Ciao.
PS. Try Google maps. You’ll never be stuck for a bit of landscape to draw again.