Course Spotlight: Figure Course
We chatted with Course Leader Sarah Gittins to find out more about the Figure Course which will run on a Tuesday at our North Junction Street Campus.
Tell us about the Figure Course, what is unique about it?
The Figure Course is a unique year long course. The programme covers the fundamentals of attentive and expressive figure drawing and painting, and creates a framework for the development of a personal artistic response to depicting the figure. We look at some significant aspects of human depiction within the discourse of contemporary art and art history along with the important space that looking closely at another human being creates for reflecting on what it means to be human. This study is enhanced by gallery visits and talks by visiting artists.
What are you looking for from applicants?
Applicants come from all walks of life and with different levels of figure drawing and painting experience. The main requirement is to be able to evidence a clear passion for the drawing and painting the figure, together with an aptitude for the subject that can be developed over the course of the year.
What do Figure students go on to do?
Several members of this year's course are going on to further their study in different year-long courses offered at LSA. Some are moving on to develop their independent practice now that their confidence has been strengthened over the course of the year.
What do students focus on in the personal project element of the course?
The extended final personal project this year was a really exiting one. It resulted in a diversity of works that could be seen at the End of Year Exhibition. These included a triptych of haunting paintings exploring the personal experience of forest fires in Corfu, a monumental yet intimate portrait of the studio model at rest, a large series of small paintings that worked intuitively with oil colour to look at shape and gesture within the figure, and a series of illustrations exploring the Scottish folktale of the Cailleach.