Plattsburgh, NY -- The Strand Center for the Arts is thrilled to host "From Life: The Classical Art of Figure Drawing", presented as an interactive exhibit by the Strand Life Drawing Group.

"From Life" is co-curated by artists Shaun O'Connell and Cynthia Root and features the artwork of both O'Connell and Root, along with other artists from the Strand Life Drawing Group.

Participating artists include:
Gray Adkins
Naomi Bradshaw
Gharan Burton
Vini Fallica
Nancy Gray Fischer
Kaitlyn Jubert
Gilles LaMarche
June Levenson
Megan Manson
Keelin Murphy
Shaun O'Connell
Tim Palkovic
Cynthia Root
Wind Sop
Yongxia Tan

"For me our life drawing group at the Strand is so much more than practicing drawing. It is taking part in an ancient honored tradition of expressing the beauty and character of the human form on paper. It is perhaps a chance to meet a muse and find inspiration from our model. It is an opportunity to make art in a community of like minded people. Over the years I have made some great friends at Life Drawing Open Studio." -Shaun O'Connell

"Drawing from a live model has always been foundational to me as an artist. It's an exercise which enables you to hone your ability to see, to study anatomy; practice form, relationships, composition, light and shadow. Life drawing at The Strand gives artists the opportunity to do this together. What a valuable asset to our artistic community!" - Cynthia Root

"For me, life drawing is the practice of finding beauty in the everyday ordinariness of people. There is a quiet but undeniable joy that comes from recognizing exceptional moments of art in something we thought was familiar." - Kaitlyn Jubert

Throughout the month of October, we will be hosting three free Community Figure Drawings Nights with an instructor and draped live model every Friday, 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Participants are asked to bring their own pads and pencils.

Date: October 7, 2022 to November 4, 2022.

Hours:
Wednesday: 10am - 7pm
Thursday: 10am - 7pm
Friday: 10am - 7pm
Saturday: 10am - 7pm

October 7th, 2022, 5-8pm
Opening Reception – The exhibit "From Life", featuring a collection of artwork created by participants in the Strand's open life drawing sessions and other regional artists, will be on view in The Strand Center Main Gallery at 23 Brinkerhoff Street in Plattsburgh from October 7th to November 4th, 2022. The Opening Reception will take place Friday, October 7th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM during First Friday Plattsburgh and is free and open to the public. The opening reception for this exhibition will take place during First Friday Plattsburgh and will be interactive with a live model, encouraging attendees to draw alongside a drawing instructor.

October 14th, 21st, & 28th, 2022, 5-7pm
Throughout the month of October, we will be hosting three free Community Figure Drawings Nights with an instructor and draped live model every Friday, 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Participants are asked to bring their own pads and pencils.

November 4th, 2022, 6-7pm
The final evening of this exhibition, November 4th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, will feature a live performance by our Modern Dance students led by instructor Jessica Bouharevich in response to the figure drawings on display in the gallery.

For more information on this event, please call 518-563-1604 or visit www.strandcenter.org.