A new Ohio State group, the Students Figure Drawing League, uses live models as inspiration during its weekly drawing session. These models spend three to four hours in two to three poses. Attendees, which can range from three to 10 at a meeting, pay a $5 fee that goes to the model.
For the two quarters it’s been meeting, SFDL has had a few models. But Sam Ricciardi, a student in psychology and art education, has been a regular.
However, Ricciardi wasn’t always so comfortable modeling naked.
“The first day I was a little anxious,” said Ricciardi in an e-mail. “But the other two models were professional. They disrobed, and held the pose. It didn’t look too bad at all. I was pretty calm, and it became comfortable.”
She said the experience has also provided her with a feeling of “vulnerable empowerment” and “humble awareness.”
The modeling may provide personal insight, but what Ricciardi enjoys most is seeing herself through others’ eyes.
“One of the best parts of class is walking around the studio and seeing all the individual styles and techniques and the different perspectives of me,” she said.
Ricciardi’s personality helps her in being a successful model, said Michol Childress, founder of SFDL.
“It is a unique personality that makes for a successful nude model,” Childress said in an e-mail. Models “are very aware of themselves as a topic, and don’t take the images personally, like a person would for a photograph.
“[The models] don’t do this because they need attention or are exhibitionists,” Childress said. “They actually like art and artists. They never criticize and they know how to be still.”
Though they have two different perspectives, Childress and Ricciardi both see the benefits of live models. For Childress, live modeling is vital in both a professional and personal sense.
“As an artist, the only way to make life appear in your drawing is to study and draw from life,” Childress said. “There is, for me, a sense of deep meditation and a transcendence that happens when I work from life. It’s like a runner’s high, or yoga.”
For Ricciardi, it is all about the art process.
“I get to see and hear the makings of art, be influenced every day and practice how to look objectively at myself,” she said. “I get to live art.”
SFDL meets every Sunday for a three- to four-hour open studio session. For more information, contact Childress at [email protected].
