Nelson's lift

[Monday]

The week of the 14th April was my first back after being away. Monday night’s Egon Schiele themed Drawing Circus proved an unmitigated success, seamlessly planned by Shelley Morrow and attended in force by the glitterati of the Brighton life drawing circuit (Paul Cemmick, Mark Harrison, Geo Parkin etc, even Graham Hanney made it along). The nights drawing was preceded by a surprise interview with the charming Boogaloo Stu in the insalubrious surroundings of the Juice FM headquarters on North Road; we talked Speiegeltent Drawing Circus on air and off air reflected on the compromises that accompany the commercial success of the Proud Ballroom.

[Thursday]

Monday’s literal Circus was a prelude to a metaphorical three-ringer of a Thursday. An 8am life drawing gig for Tom & Nic’s  Heart FM breakfast show (life drawing on the radio?!) provided a lively opening act.  The big cats came next: my long time student Simon continued his current cat obsession in our morning 1:1 drawing class, breaking out the oil pastels for the first time in months. 

The afternoon took on a more serious tone in a two hour meeting with between the tenants of New England House and Nick Hibberd, head of Brighton & Hove City Regeneration, where he received an overdue grilling on the council’s ill-conceived plans to redevelop our beloved studio complex. 

I had time to play ring master (holding an off-program life drawing class in the main studio for my Creative Future students) before running away to The Old Market to celebrate the third birthday of my favorite Brighton theatre with an ambassadorial reception of Brighton arty-types. 

Finally the acrobats: courtesy of TOM we all reveled in an hour of gravitationally inverted delight watching a performance of ‘Leo’ which left me with a smile, distorted proprioception and an unrelated craving for sweet potato chips. 

[Pictures from the week]

Compressed charcoal drawings... Johanna 15 mins / Johanna 1 min / Laura Kate O'rourke 3 min 
Classes... Portrait class at Cass art / Simon's class at Draw / Drawing Circus at The Old Market