‘The Art of Drawing’: New Exhibition at New Canaan Library

The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.

Beyond the pristine sliding glass doors, boundless shelves of books and sunlit cafe, the New Canaan Library offers more: community creativity. 

This spring, the library hosted a seven-week drawing workshop for adults called “Art of Drawing.” The workshop was led by retired New Canaan High School art teacher Jeanne McDonagh, an educator here for 32 years.

Held on the third floor of the library in the Tate Room, participants received a comprehensive foundation in drawing catered to both beginners and those who wished to enhance their drawing skills further. They learned the vocabulary of drawing and how to work with composition, proportion, perspective, line, gesture, value, and texture. 

Students also learned how to use and explore these concepts to create original works of art.

“I would base each week on a skill that would build to the next skill,” McDonagh said. “[Students] might start with gestures, then contour drawing, and then value studies so that they have a basis on how to draw. Most people want to draw realistically so that was the focus – doing things based on renaissance traditions of drawing what you see.” 

The class had 18 participants who were mostly beginners, McDonagh said. She describes her students as “so positive.”

“They would be very approachable,” she said. “They were great. They were very positive in terms of whatever I threw out at them, they were willing to do it and they were so happy.”

Students made charcoal drawings of subjects ranging from fruit to spoons. McDonagh used her own household objects as subjects for her students’ art. 

“I bring things from my kitchen or my house,” she said. “Everyone tries to draw them and everyone has a different personality that comes through.”

As their art progressed, McDonagh informed participants that their pieces would be displayed in an exhibition in the library.

 “We’re going to have a show,” she remembers telling them. She reenacts their response, “I haven’t been in art shows since second grade!”

Those interested can view the exhibition on the first floor of the library near The Farmer’s Grind, where participants have elected to display two or three pieces of art they completed during the workshop. 

During our interview, McDonagh asked me, “What do you like to draw?” 

I replied, “Oh, I can’t draw.”

McDonagh responded, “You can! You have to learn.”

Those words embody McDonagh’s outlook on art and the reason she enjoys teaching workshops. 

“The point is to encourage and prove to them that they can do it,” she said.

McDonagh looks to host more workshops at the library in the future, and she hopes even more will participate. 

“Oh, they should try it,” she said. “They’re free, the materials are free. Everything is free.”

Those interested in trying a workshop of their own can visit the library’s event calendar at https://www.newcanaanlibrary.org/ to sign up. And, check out Jeanne’s website at https://jeanne-mcdonagh.digication.com to view more of her art.