STAMFORD — On Saturday, March 14, from noon to 2 p.m., the Headwaters Arts Center will host “Drawing Strangers,” a portrait workshop led by the exhibiting artist Maeve McCool.
The session invites participants to draw portraits from old photographs — not of family members or friends, but of unknown figures gathered from McCool’s personal archive. The workshop is offered with tiered equity pricing at $15, $20 or $35.
McCool’s work is currently featured in the Headwaters exhibition To Build a Home, where she displays drawings and ephemera sourced from what she describes as a lifelong collection of lost photographs, letters, notes and objects once belonging to strangers. The materials, found in dumpsters, junk stores, sidewalks and the pages of old books, form the backbone of her practice.
In the workshop, participants will explore selections from that collection and use them as inspiration to create their own portrait of a stranger. Instruction will cover foundational techniques, including facial proportions and the use of graphite and charcoal, as well as an overview of the methods McCool employs in her own drawing process. All materials will be provided.
McCool, a visual artist based in Catskill, N.Y., examines themes of memory, decay and regrowth through detailed drawings, prints and mixed-media work. Her practice considers the cycles of capitalist production and decline, the emotional ties rural American communities form with industry and landscape, and questions of home, femininity and loss.
Registration is available at roxburyartsgroup.org
Additional information may be obtained by emailing headwaters@roxburyartsgroup.org or calling 607-214-6040.
The event will take place at Headwaters Arts Center, 66 Main Street, Stamford.
