- Apr 2, 2025
- 1 min read
'ArtClub' at the NORTHERN ARTS CLUB
with:
Kathleen Cowie BA(Hons) Fine Art, PGCE Art & Design
Six weeks of tutored classes on Tuesday mornings starting on 15th April until 20th May 2025
10.30am-12.30pm.
Each six sessions block focuses on a visual element, starting with LINE
Cost: £90 for 6 weeks
NAC Members: £72 for 6 weeks
CONTACT: northernartsclub1907@gmail.com for further details, registration and payment.
Book early to avoid disappointment as places a filling fast on all current classses.
- Aug 19, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 14, 2025
Background: NAC has run a drop-in life-drawing session on Monday evenings since 2018. It has proved very popular, with many artists and models becoming our ‘regulars’; some are taking part in this, our occasional interview feature.
Q: Tell us about yourself and your interest in life modelling.
A: I am 39 and have always had an interest in art. Especially when I was younger I enjoyed drawing. I am self employed but the past few years I have made changes to my business which means I am less busy and have more time to try and find other interests. One of them being life modelling. I find it almost a form of meditation and my mind is empty when I'm posing.
Q: How did you get started as a life model? Describe your first modelling job and how it went.
A: The reason for me getting into life modelling was a friend of mine mentioned they were thinking of doing it so that gave me the inspiration to give it a try. My first time went fine although there were only two artists who turned up that night which probably took the pressure off a bit. I was given simple lying down poses as they knew I hadn't done it before.
Q: How do you go about finding work as a life model - do you advertise or rely on recommendations? How difficult or easy is it to get bookings?
A: I've always had to go finding groups online that do life drawing and see if they need any more models. I have never come across any ads looking for models and I don't advertise either.
Q: In the class setting, do you prefer the artist to set the poses or do you like to be involved in the positioning?
A: In a drawing class I'm open minded about who sets the poses. I usually find I get given a bit of input into most poses. And the artists always want to make sure I'm comfortable. I am also happy to set my own poses and like to use props.
Q: Do you consider yourself a creative person? Have you ever attended a life class as an artist?
A: I don't consider myself creative but I do like to make a tidy job of any tasks that I take on. Taking part in a life drawing class is something I have thought about doing. I've never tried drawing a figure but think at some point I will give it a try.
Q: Are you a member of the Northern Arts Club? If not, would you consider joining?
A: I'm not currently a member of NAC but I would possibly like to become a member.
Q: The Covid Pandemic has curtailed Club activities, including the life-drawing sessions. Have you been able to model at all during this time?
A: During the pandemic I did manage to model twice for an artist privately when restrictions had been lifted.
Q: What other interests and activities are you involved in?
A: Other interests I have are sport. I play snooker and pool. I like gardening, going for walks. I love being outside in the fresh air. I live in the country so feel lucky for having space.
- Jun 25, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 14, 2025
Background: NAC has run a drop-in life-drawing session on Monday evenings since 2018. It’s proved very popular, with many artists and models becoming our ‘regulars’; some are taking part in this, our occasional interview feature.
Q: We love your self-portrait Matt! Tell us more about yourself and your interest in art.
A: Though I loved art at school it was a traditional academic institution and at 15 I had to choose between arts and sciences. I chose the science path and did do well at it; but the creative streak was obviously there as I almost studied architecture at university until a work experience week convinced me it was not a viable career path in rural Kent - so I became an engineer for 32 mostly enjoyable years.
Self portrait
As soon as I finished university and got a job I did start art evening classes and I have never stopped since then. Juggling a busy work and family life until 2018 I spent my limited creative time painting in watercolours (mostly landscapes and portraits), acrylics (collage and portraits), life study (charcoal and graphite) and, latterly, wood block engraving/printing. Given the opportunity to leave work with voluntary redundancy I have taken the plunge to be an artist and increase my creative output.
Q: Do you focus on particular themes/materials when producing your artwork? What are your inspirations?
A: The clean lines and simplified compositions of wood engravings and linocut resonate with me greatly - you are forced to summarise and suggest shapes and textures and there is an excitement knowing one slipped tool or hasty stroke can destroy the work completely. Life drawing helps to sharpen your sketching accuracy and pare down the mark making to a minimum.
My watercolours and portraits are my guilty pleasure s- one-off flights of colourful fancy that eat up the time and let me zone out. I limit myself to special subjects, meaningful to me, stretching my technique or hedonistically exploring gorgeous textures and colours.
Q: What have you taken inspiration from when producing your artwork?
A: My portraits are inspired by Richard Burlet: he is considered an abstract-figurative artist, with strong Viennese influence of the late 1800s (Gustav Klimt etc). Burlet's paintings are richly coloured compositions in collage and oil and each displays a brilliant pastiche of ornamental detail and strong colours. Burlet enjoyed manipulating the interplay of figure and background, flatness and depth, object and image and these aspects in turn work for me, allowing me to create individual and striking images.
Through collage I integrate poignant artefacts into the fabric of the picture to add additional levels of emotional attachment - wedding invitations, bars of favourite music or spent airline tickets for a special holiday etc. These are swallowed into the composition unless the viewer starts to study in depth.
My main output currently is quirky linocut and wood engravings, humorous topics reduced down to a graphical impression.
Checked shirt [linocut]
Q: Moving on to Northern Arts Club, how long have you been a part of NAC and why did you join?
A: Access to models, and art classes generally, in the North East of Scotland is so limited after spending most of my life in big cities like Manchester or Rotterdam. The reliable NAC evening slot on a pay-as-you-go basis is a great resource. The range of models is amongst the best I’ve come across too. The fellow artists’ styles and encouragement is nice for someone finding their way in life drawing as it is daunting to start. I’ve been coming to NAC for 4 years now, starting with guided classes and moving onto the unguided sessions.
Q: The Covid Pandemic has curtailed Club activities, including the life-drawing sessions. Have you tried online sessions? Or other methods of maintaining your skills?
A: I have 3 parallel zoom art sessions running weekly where like-minded artists either work on their own pieces in company or do challenges in suggested topics. Life drawing has stopped for me now, it doesn’t suit virtual sessions. The camaraderie and socialising helps maintain my commitment and continue doing art, I need organising not to be lazy.
Q: And generally, did you find more time to focus on your artwork during lockdown?
A: Less. The absence of upcoming exhibitions, and the need to furnish new work for them, has meant I’ve concentrated on smaller, fun and social subjects.
Lips [linocut]
Q: Have you shared any of your work with Club members? If so, how have you done this?
A: Not much actively. I’ve not been interested in social media in the past and probably missed a lot of engagements by NAC in ignorance – though I have just submitted some work to the Club sites. I have started to value social media much more recently and appreciate its power to reach and inform. I will try to move on from my 1:1, exhibition-led selling approach as it falls flat in lock
Q: Has creating your artwork acted as a coping mechanism during the pandemic?
A: Totally. I’ve quite enjoyed the introspectiveness and time available to make art the pandemic has unexpectedly provided. I have also found a shocking number of people have common interests and are more willing to interact socially through art than I would have believed before.