Life drawing & portrait courses in Cornwall

Representing, expressing and transforming the human form and psyche

justlife.art CIC is a friendly and especially inclusive, community directed, not-for-profit creative studio with the current central focus of teaching being on the rigours of seeing, representing and expressing the human form.


Art and life drawing materials

How we work

We provide both tutored and untutored workshops / courses / sessions at cost price which we hope are accessible to most. 

It is expected that people attending get involved, help out by setting up, clearing up, taking it in turns to provide refreshments, and there are myriad of ways to help further by volunteering (the only folk currently getting paid here are the tutors and models……possibly a paid administrator/manager might be necessary down the line).

  • Portrait Group

    Untutored. Current project - painting the residents of Sancreed Parish.

  • Wednesday Life Drawing Term

    12 week term of untutored life drawing 10am- 1pm

  • Portrait Weekenders

    An opportunity to engage in considered portrait painting/drawing practice.

  • Translating and expressing the Human Form

    One Day workshop with Wendy Barratt

  • The Emotive Portrait

    3 day intensive taught by Wendy Barratt

  • New List Item

    Description goes here
  • Anatomy for Life Drawing

    Intermittent Sunday workshops each focusing on a specific element of anatomy

Excellence & exploration

As well as aspiring towards developing a centre of excellence for working from the human form, it is anticipated that our focus will over time organically broaden out to incorporate seeing and representing other types of form as well as other forms of seeing / sensing / imagining / expressing - some of which may also involve automatic drawing, parsemage, archetype/transpersonal and possibly even art therapy. Allowing for exploration of the many facets of what it is to be a soul inhabiting the human form and psyche on this planet with all the man-made densely solidified constructs.

There will also be the need at times to consider contextualising what we are developing in relation to art history, the contemporary art world and critical art theory.

Portrait class in Cornwall

JustStudios

The juststudios project is a potentially exciting development where we are exploring an opportunity to acquire both a large permanent communal studio for our courses and collaborative community group sessions, as well as a number of studios to rent out at low cost, plus a cabin and studio for any invited artist in residence to inhabit whilst delivering courses/workshops, hopefully attracting high calibre artist/tutors from around the UK who have relevant practices.

Inclusive art classes in Cornwall

INCLUSIVITY

We are keen to collaborate and work with all members of the community, and particularly encourage models, tutors, directors, volunteers, and attendees with lived experience. Whether they are disabled (including mental health), part of the LGBTQIA+ community, are Black, Asian, or part of another ethnic minority group.

We believe it is important to celebrate, learn from and respect the diversity of people, their skills, minds, knowledge, experience and bodies, no matter how they identify.

We are aiming to increase engagement from and collaborate with groups with lived experience and are looking to commence this with hosting a drag life drawing workshop in collaboration with the Penzance Queer Book Club incorporating some queer art history. Also in 2024 we aim to start a peer led creative group for people experiencing trauma and dissociation.