Imagine a Roomfull of Exquisite Drawings

John Pence Gallery in San Francisco is described as "one of the premier academic realist galleries in the U.S." Their website states that the gallery is "Primarily known for its strong stable of living academic realists..." On a recent visit this was very much in evidence.

Their exhibit, Drawings, was a feast of perfect graphite images by some of the most amazing contemporary artists, including -

  Juliette Aristides        Sherrie McGraw

  Jacob Collins             Edward Minoff

  Emma Hirst               Travis Schlaht

  Jonathan Koch           Sadie Valerie

  David A. Leffel           Leah Waichulis

  Robert Liberace         Patricia Watwood

...and many more.

Below, left to right, are examples by Edward Minoff, Sadie Valerie and Carl Dobsky.

photo courtesy of John Pence Gallery

photo courtesy of John Pence Gallery

The level of detail in all these works was mind-boggling and at the same time they were exquisitely sensitive images.

To the right is "Tantrum," an expressive drawing by Luis Enrique Lantigua Dominguez, part of the exhibit and featured in an article on Drawings in Fine Art Connoisseur.

I have honestly never seen so many outstanding drawings in one place. Individually, these intricate and delicately prepared images were amazing. Taken as a whole, the exhibit was a rare tribute to the fine art of drawing, the skill that best prepares any artist. And perhaps a golfer, as I may have mentioned with tongue slightly in cheek!

In his quintessential book on the subject, The Natural Way to Draw, Kimon Nicolaides states "The sooner you make the first five thousand mistakes, the sooner you'll be able to correct them." Well, it's hard to imagine that these accomplished artists have made many mistakes. I'm going to take comfort in the fact that we all have a learning curve. If the way to Carnegie Hall is practice, practice, practice the way to John Pence Gallery must be drawing, drawing, drawing!