DRAWING MARATHON DRAWS A CROWD

Drawing Marathon Draws a Crowd
Drawing + Artists + You = Fantastic Fun
The Oregon Arts Alliance (OAA) hosted its first drawing marathon at the OAA Gallery on Friday, November 5, 2010, in Eugene, OR.

In case you missed the drawing marathon, here’s how it worked:
Artists drew throughout the evening, working from live models or imagination. Immediately after a drawing was completed it was placed on the gallery wall for viewing pleasure and purchase as a benefit for OAA workshops and exhibitions. Visitors witnessed artists at work and chatted while solo musicians and Honest Connie & the 5 Finger Discount provided music. Ninkasi Brewing Company and Territorial Vineyards provided beverages while the Creative Duck Store at the U of O donated art supplies for the event. Each model’s fashion sense could be captured in drawings, be it a furry hat, cat-eye glasses, a hat à la Robin Hood or Queen Slugasana’s trail of rainbow balloons. It was fantastic to see artists’ different interpretations of the models.

Roger Rix, court photographer for Queen Slugasana, liked the energy the drawing marathon produced. "This is wonderful. It’s exciting to see this many artists and different mediums," Rix said. By the end of the night, the gallery walls were covered with drawings; no space left uncovered!

Pencils, Charcoal, Pastels, Oh My!
Over 30 artists participated in the drawing marathon, and artists used an assortment of mediums: pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, watercolor, pencils and chalk.
This was graphic designer, illustrator and writer Stephen Stanley’s first drawing marathon. “I thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Stanley said. During the drawing marathon, Stanley worked from the models with pencil and white pastel. Whether the technique is tight or loose “depends on my mood,” Stanley explained.

I chatted with Halley Anderson, a student at the University of Oregon, as she worked on a linear colored pencil drawing. Anderson found out about the drawing marathon while on the First Friday ArtWalk. Anderson decided to participate because she “saw everyone else doing it, and it looked really tempting.”

Brandi York of Springfield, OR, sat on the floor working on a pastel portrait, and we talked about her evening thus far. “It’s one of my favorite atmospheres to be surrounded by other artists and just drawing,” York said. York enjoys portraiture and figure drawing and works in all mediums, though her primary and favorite medium to work in is pastel.

For Nicola Calvert, the evening was full of charcoal and pastel drawing and running into old friends. “It’s the social highlight of the week, maybe of the month,” Calvert said.
Art is “moving back into being an integral part of my life,” Calvert explained, who works with mixed media. Calvert liked seeing other artists’ work. “The drawings are very inspirational…” Calvert said.

Emily Pesek, a portrait artist, worked on portraits in pencil, smudge pencil, and woodless pencil.
“You see reality a little more clearly,” Pesek said of drawing. Pesek expressed admiration for the OAA and its mission. “I think it’s beautiful that the Oregon Arts Alliance is so devoted to honoring the artistic process and genuinely supporting art for art’s sake,” Pesek said.

Farley Craig is a full-time artist who teaches figure drawing and figure painting at the Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene, OR. During the drawing marathon, Craig drew with charcoal and chalk, though he also likes to work in oils.

Chandra Valli Paetsch, a freelance artist, illustrator and photographer, registered for the drawing marathon because “it sounded like so much fun.” Valli Paetsch worked from the models using mixed media: ink and colored pencils, in her drawings. “It’s great to watch other artists work. I’ve never had that opportunity,” Valli Paetsch said. Valli Paetsch is up for another drawing marathon. “I really hope it happens again,” Valli Paetsch said.

We are Thankful for… You! It was great seeing such an awesome turnout for the event. Thank you for coming and supporting artists and art!

Thank you:
Artists
Models
Solo musicians and Honest Connie & the 5 Finger Discount
Sponsors: Ninkasi Brewing Company, Territorial Vineyards and the Creative Duck Store

For photos of the event, go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oregonartsalliance.

Upcoming Event:
OAA Fine Arts & Crafts Show (formerly the Oregon Crafted Sampler Show) begins Friday, November 12, 2010, at the OAA Gallery with an opening reception from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The show features 30 of our member artists representing a collection of mediums: Glass, Wood, Ceramics, Painting, Jewelry, Fiber Art and Sculpture.
Opening reception is Friday, November 12, 2010, from 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The show runs November 12 through 21, 2010 at OAA Gallery, 881 Willamette St., Eugene, OR.
Regular hours Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 5:30 pm.