Flow, Structure, and Collaboration – Life Drawing in the Chapel

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of leading my third life drawing class at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, this time alongside Laura Ellen Bacon’s extraordinary exhibition Into Being in the Chapel.

Laura’s woven willow installation fills the space with movement, scent, and presence — it’s immersive and physical, like a living organism. When preparing for the session, I was struck by the way she describes buildings and objects as being imbued with the maker’s hand, their emotions, thoughts, and physical presence. That really resonated with me. Just as Laura weaves willow with her whole body, I wanted us to draw with our whole bodies too.

We began with a collaborative warm-up in direct response to the sculpture. Participants worked on large sheets of paper, layering marks on top of each other’s. The results were incredible — bold, rhythmic, flowing. A true “gathering of lines and thoughts,” echoing Laura’s idea of the Chapel as a place of congregation.

For me, this was such an important moment in my teaching practice. I often encourage freedom, experimentation, and risk in drawing, but to see a whole group of people immediately embrace collaboration — letting go of ownership and responding to each other’s energy — felt powerful. There was a tangible sense of trust and openness in the room.

From there, we moved into life drawing, connecting the energy of the sculpture with the human figure. Our brilliant model brought the space alive, echoing the woven forms with movement and balance. Participants explored gesture, structure, and tone, gradually weaving together figure and sculpture on the page.

I came away feeling inspired by the group, and deeply grateful for the way collaboration can shift the dynamic of drawing. It reminded me that teaching is never one-way — it’s a shared experience, a conversation, working together. Just like Laura Ellen Bacon’s willow, the marks we made were stronger and more alive because they held all of us.

A huge thank you to Yorkshire Sculpture Park for inviting me to deliver this series of classes. It has been such a privilege to teach in the Chapel, surrounded by extraordinary art and such an inspiring sense of place.

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Click below to see the write up in Yorkshire Post: