I recently came across a bunch of drawings in an old, water-damaged portfolio, from my year in Fine Arts at Mount Allison. This batch is mainly things from my drawing portfolio along with quick sketches that, by all rights, I should have discarded.

First year drawing was taught by Prof. Virgil Hammock, who retired in 2004.

Most of these figure studies would’ve been completed in somewhere between 10 seconds and 3 or 4 minutes. The more detail, the longer the pose was likely held. The architectural pieces were done from my photographs.

Mainly drawn on throw-away newsprint, about 18×24″, they’re just simple exercises, having no merit as art. In keeping with that, these reproductions were hastily shot on an iPhone with available lighting with no effort made even to remove folds, wrinkles or avoid shadows. But for me, they’re a snapshot of what I was doing, in another life, twenty years ago.

Male nude, standing (white conté pencil on black Mayfair)

Female nude, arms folded

abandoned buildings (part of what is now the Campbell Carriage Factory museum)

Homes in Middle Sackville, corner of Main Street and School Lane

Self-portrait, drawn while looking in a mirror — but without looking at the page

Self-portrait, drawn with eyes closed

Female nude, with easel

Plaster bust (white conté pencil on black Mayfair)

Female nude, standing (the next drwaing is on the reverse of this sheet)

Female nude, standing beside stool (verso of previous drawing)

Female nude, standing behind stool

Thomas Williams’ House, Park Street, Moncton, New Brunswick

male nude, seated (white conté pencil on black Mayfair)