People slowly trickle in one by one, holding back their breath from walking up three flights of stairs. They grab a stool, board and set up their supplies to start the class. Squeaking benches blend into the sound of pencils drawing away as everyone is focused on the strenuously still model.
These people are artists at the Open Life Drawing Studio, a Saturday session where artists can practice their figuring drawing from a nude model. At 2-4 p.m. every Saturday, the open studio commences class with a variety of models and poses. All skill levels are welcome and non-university students can also join. The class requires people to bring their own drawing supplies and costs $10 to participate.
The studio has been around for 30 years, Tim Daulton, art faculty staff and coordinator of the class, said. And Daulton has been with the program since it started.
There was another program similar to the studio before he started working at the University of Idaho, but it fizzled out, hence starting the studio. Daulton has seen many changes to the university in his time working at UI, including the Teaching Learning Center being built, taking over what was a grassy bowl with trees that students lingered in between classes.
“When we started this program, it was a university program of continuing education and community,” Daulton said,” And the university canceled it 10 or 15 years ago, it was run by the Moscow Parks and Rec department but is now in the art department.”
Although the studio is run by the UI art department, many people who are in the class are affiliated with the university.
Molly Klingher, a junior at Moscow High School, has been coming to the studio since her freshman year. Klingher said the best part about the class is being able to experiment with different materials and having time to draw.
“I think it’s just progression with practice, I get better working on foreshortening right now,” Klingher said.
Similar to other’s experience going into the studio, the class has a respectful embrace for artistic expression and is a nonjudgmental space.
Katie Pool, an artist at the studio, first found out about the class when bumping into Daulton at the Moscow Co-Op. Pool was a student at UI, graduating in 2018, and moved back to Moscow in 2019.
“I saw him model for the class like years and years ago…he mentioned that he was doing this,” Pool said. “This is my third session… it’s been a while since I’ve drawn, so I’m kind of just getting back into it, but this is a great way to do it.”
Pool said drawing life is more fluid than regular objects. When taking art classes, students will take figure drawing and things that are alive can be more challenging because they have movement. When practicing drawing, it is important to capture someone’s motion and exercises in the studio are perfect for stretching that artistic muscle.
“With people, it’s more of more of a connection I think to what you’re drawing because it’s something that’s alive, versus just an object,” Pool said. “With a glass (or object), it just stays in the same place, the shadows are exactly the same, the shapes are the same and you can get a lot more detailed with the specifics you know the shadows and the light.”
During the pandemic, the studio has not seen as much turnout in the past because people don’t want to risk exposure to the virus. They do follow COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks and socially distancing.
“(The class is) helping me in all areas of my life,” Pool said. “I’m actually not really social, but you connect with people here and you have a life model. It’s motivating me in other aspects of my life too, so I just think that having a creative outlet is great. We can come here, and I’m not even a student, but I can come to those.”
Daulton said that being a life model is strenuous. The studio is looking for more models to come to the class and experience what it is like to be in an open life studio.
For more information about the Open Life Drawing Studio, call Tim Daulton at (208)882-0273 or email the art department at [email protected].
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.