On Friday 12th May, The Welcome Swallow Gallery presented the exhibition, Drawn From Life that featured works supplied by Fine Art Society New Zealand. A packed gallery of 120 art lovers enjoyed a splendid evening, of art from Tim Quirke, Jan Nigro and Ron Stenberg. Cocktails and canapes were served by the Gallery benefactor and patron, the Montana Group, a distinct experience in and of itself!

Trust Chair and CEO, Dr. Dorothy Gilson set off the evening, commenting that "Drawn from Life depicts the human figure in various forms and poses, from working heroes to dancing girls and the ‘real life’ artistry of the nude model. There is much to see and reflect upon". She also reminded everyone that while enjoying the art expereince, the Trust raises money for children leading incredibly tough lives and that it was only the dedication of the Trust volunteers that made it all possible.

String Duo, already well known to gallery patrons performed most beautifully on cello and violin.  Finally, the evening was paced with a number of sales that can be seen on the site blog.  The exhibition runs from the opening night till the end of June. Many more sales are envisaged.

Figurative art

These exhibition artworks are all works on paper produced by highly trained, professional artists. Although all three are completely different in their style and subject matter, they all display the skills that can only be acquired from years of training and practice in rendering the human body.

The depiction of the human body has been central to art in every culture from the beginning of time and still is to the present day. From the oldest identified pieces of art to those created during the modern era, the depiction of the human figure has played a monumental role in conveying the ideals, desires, and creeds of the artists that created them.

For any new artist, the ultimate goal in drawing techniques has always been the human form. In a life drawing class, students gravitate toward capturing the human body. Not only for artists, but for architects and designers. If you can render the human body perfectly in all of its complexity, you can draw anything else.

Following the opening night we hope there will be an artwork in this exhibition that can find a place in your own personal collection.