auis “bird + specio” to inspect

In ancient Rome the will of the gods was determined by looking for signs usually in the flight of birds. There was a ritual for all bird auspices. This divination is what religion meant to the Romans.
In this workshop we will discuss and explore drawing practices concepts and drawing conventions. The aesthetic basis and shared languages of drawing sculpture and architecture in western art will give us a deeper understanding of drawing’s formal and expressive capabilities as a poetic language.
As a group we will experiment by drawing along together; to gain an understanding of how somatic marks lines and form concepts such as the circle ellipse sphere and egg apply themselves to the complexity of the figure as an analogous language.
The drawing of the circle is a subject that weaves itself throughout art. Plato tells us the circle represents the soul. Giotto claims that to draw a circle is a mark of mastery. We will complete our workshop by approaching the essential subject of drawing through the practice of the Enso circle.