I hosted an art salon for female-identifying people in our flat the night before Halloween.
It was wonderful! It was incredibly special to have a group of women artists gathered in our home, feasting on veggie and vegan treats before settling into a life drawing session with a professional artist’s model. It was like Eat and Draw instead of Drink and Draw!
I made vegan pumpkin pie, which is weirdly way better and easier than the dairy version. Way pumpkinier too!
Many people had not previously had pumpkin pie, which isn’t a thing in Germany or really most of Europe, and are now very seriously into it. Suzanne Wegh helped organize and brought hardcore salty Dutch licorice, which I thought I would not be into but really enjoyed.
Thanks to my Patrons on Patreon and their financial support, I was able to hire my favorite artist’s model, electro-accordion chanteuse Miss Natasha Enquist.
I met her teaching at ESDIP Berlin, and we became friends and now I hire her when I need a terrific life model, draw at all her superb music performances and also we go to sex clubs and leather daddy cigar lounges!
Although I do love two-minute gesture poses, for the salon we went right into short poses, ten to fifteen minutes, then twenty minutes. Everyone wanted time to capture MNE’s whole lewk!
We used lots of props! Our house is so full of weird stuff and dead stuff and creepy stuff, we were spoilt for choice.
Almost everyone came prepared to draw or paint, except for Yvonne Prott of Yves_Art, who takes amazing photos and shot a collection of beautiful spooky images.
Yvonne Prott self portrait, Oct 30 2017
Clockwise below, Giulia Caruso, Ksenia Shaw, a redheaded visitor from Australia, Suzanne Wegh, Daria Rhein and Marina Belikova. Sorry about my terrible photography “skills”!
Everyone made such beautiful drawings. It was incredible, such a gleeful creative energy in our safe space!
I loved all the different styles. Lydia is a crackerjack draughtsman with terrific style. Her character selfie drawings on her Insta give me life.
Miss Natasha Enquist drawn by Lydia, photo by Yvonne Prott, Oct 30 2017
Miss Natasha Enquist with Crow by Natascha Artworx Oct 30 2017
Here are two of the many drawings made by Natascha Artworx.
She came down from Hamburg for the salon despite the storm, and she has a lovely post about it on her Patreon!
She and Suzanne Wegh and I previously collaborated, and worked with Miss Natasha, for our A(RT)ffair at Ludwig this summer.
It was pretty funny having only two names to go around that time; we’ve gotten better at it now!
Miss Natasha Enquist by Natasha Artworx at the first Womens Art Salon, Oct 30 2017
Miss Natasha Enquist with Natascha Artworx and Kelsey Bass Oct 30 2017, photo by Suzanne Wegh
I adore this digital version Kelsey Bass made of one of her drawings!
Miss Natasha Enquist by Kelsey Bass Oct 30 2017
Each artist brought their unique style and approach to the poses.
Daria, who has been doing a lot of digital work lately when she isn’t tattooing, used watercolors. Keep an eye on her art Instagram and you might see ’em!
Crucial event support and photography provided by Suzanne Wegh; check out her Patreon!
Top photo by Suzanne Wegh, left to right: Daria Rhein, Marina Belikova, Natascha Artworx and Kelsey Bass.
Artwork made at the First West Berlin Womens Art Salon, Oct 30 2017, photo by Suzanne Wegh