Slow Looking: A Relaxed Drawing Workshop

Join artist Michael Mangan for a portraiture and drawing workshop in response to These Beautiful Men, an exhibition by Brian Maguire

This workshop invites you into the process that took place behind the scenes of These Beautiful Men, an exhibition by Brian Maguire at Rua Red. Through this workshop you will be encouraged to slow down, observe, and reflect through drawing.

In the making of These Beautiful Men, Maguire and Rua Red established a temporary art studio within an IPAS centre where artist Michael Mangan ran workshops three times a week. While Brian drew portraits of the men, participants in Mangan’s workshops were invited to illustrate their understanding of home and hopes for the future.

Here, a series of portraiture exercises will focus on relaxed looking, curiosity, and the experience of spending time with another person through art. Then, reflecting on some of the drawings made by the men in the temporary studio, you will also be invited to produce a small visual response to one image that resonates with you. In this way, the workshop moves between looking at people and looking at drawings made by people, encouraging reflection and connection through careful attention.

No drawing experience is necessary. The session is open to anyone interested in slowing down, looking closely, and responding creatively to the exhibition.