Drawing Room summer school - day 4, Thursday

In the pre-course information we were given a link to a poem and told that the artist leading today's session, Paul Noble, wanted us to print it out and read the print version, rather than read it on our phone. Of course this started a buzz of speculation ... how would this be related to drawing? 

But the poem wasn't mentioned till the very end of the day. Meanwhile Paul told us a bit about his own practice, and then set us a task.

We were all to make the same drawing, and it would take all day. We would use a large sheet of smooth, sturdy paper and an 8H pencil, making five passes over the paper to obtain a gradation of shades.

Marking up the paper -

 Sharpening pencils -

 Rubbing down the light, careful marks with a piece of kitchen roll - rub hard -

 Adding another layer -

 Concentration -

 Consternation? -

 (Lots of conversation... and did I mention the music playing, slowly but not quietly, thoughout?)

As the graphite covered, or bonded with, the paper, it got very difficult to get it darker. I had "issues" with my pencil - it seemed to have grit in its graphite. Others had similar issues, round about the 4.5 hour mark ... perhaps a form of hysteria was taking hold...

When it came time to stop, I had produced "Meadow Under Sunlight and Moonlight" - 70cm x 50cm -

 The drawings made a grand display along the wall -

 ... in all their variety ...

 ... right round the corner ...

Paul at last revealed that the purpose of the poem (Achterberg's "Ballade van de gasfitter" - in translation) was "so that we would all have something in common at the outset". And we became part of the select group who had heard the entire piece "November", by Dennis Johnson.

For the next day, a sentence or two on each of these topics in regard to what we are doing in this course -

I'm lost for words. And after the variety of outputs in the past four days, unsure of what I'll be working on in the final day.