Carol, the Group Leader writes....

I retired from working as a lecturer in ceramics at Havering College in 2005, but felt that I still had something to contribute and beginning a drawing group with U3A seemed like a great way to give something back.

We began a little while after U3A Warley started in 2015 and we still have a few of the original members, but have lost others; there tends to be around 7 or 8 people each session.

We meet on Tuesday mornings on the 1st and 3rd week each month, it used to be just once a month, which wasn’t ideal, because of the need to practice the skills regularly and when lockdown happened we made it twice a month, as it was a good distraction from the darkness of the Covid world.

The classes are very informal, with lots of chat before we start drawing, however once we start, a wonderful silence emerges, as everyone gives their entire attention to the work.

Drawing is largely about hand-eye co-ordination and developing the ability to really look at the world, instead of the “skimming” that we normally do. This requires using measurement and getting everything inthe right place, but creativity is also needed, Some of the best drawings are not the most correct and I prefer a drawing which has inquiry in it, with mistakes left and not rubbed out, rather than a correct but lifeless photographic image.

I love passing on my knowledge and always find it interesting, however regular practice is the key to improvement and the dedication of the group is so rewarding and makes it worthwhile for me.

We often visit exhibitions in London and our many visits have included the Leonardo Drawings in The Queen’s Galleries, Eric Ravillious at The Dulwich Picture Gallery and the ‘Summer Exhibition’ at the Royal Academy.