THE MODEL SPEARS! MUSINGS ON THE LIFE A self-interview by Una Bachinski Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Una who worked in the head office of a well-known outdoor company here in Vancouver. She hated her desk Bt \ job because in her heart of hearts she was an Artist. ; Four years later a Large Celestial Body, the comet Hale- Bopp, happened to be cruising within Earth’s vicinity and it had some very strange effects on large num- bers of the human population. Una prayed to this Large Celestial Body to help her out of her prison-like predicament. Lo and behold, but what should occur on the Day of Epiphany January 6th, 1997? Her prayers were answered! This young woman got her ass booted out of that nasty, smelly corporate environment with a nice, fat severance package! She was free to pursue her art! Hurray! But wait a minute, how was she to eventually put bread and butter and copious amounts of wine on her table once that lump of money ran out? Suddenly it dawned on our bohemian heroine: why not take my clothes off in the name of art? And thus began her new, other, career as a...LIFE DRAWING MODEL where she lived hap- -pily ever after. Now that we’ve dispensed with the “what’s a nice girl like you doing in a \s job like this?” number...Ok, so I’m a little strange because I spend 3/4 of my waking life naked? So sue me! Better yet draw me! It’s true. I model for over 50 arts related organizations in the lower main- land, my total number of gigs for the ‘98 _ fall season numbering 95 - hard to believe isn’t it? There are thousands of people drawing the human body. What’s the appeal? Why is life-drawing so important? Damn fine question and I intend to answer it so you won’t feel that your hard-earned student loan has been for naught! Don’t try to sort those negatives out, it’ll give you a headache... I guess I figure it this way, no pun intended. We all are the result of an act that involved two naked bodies (even if you were a test-tube ae baby, someone . had to drawings by Aaron Powell put that goo into a glass container to be inserted into a warm vagina!) We all emerged bloody and naked from our mother’s body. And strange but true, many of us go on to repeat this cycle! Every creative act is born of the body so it stands to reason that we would return to the source for inspiration and understanding. Ok, I’m going to pontificate here for a sec but it’s my right because I’m an Aquarius and that’s what we do. I think learning how to SEE and DRAW the human form is even more important in the social context. There’s something pathetic and sad about a society that virtually worships pornography and yet censors an art show of nude paintings time and time again. Our North American culture seems obsessed with the surfaces of the things; i.e. we’re shallow and out of touch with ourselves! Hello! This is readily apparent to me when I stand naked in front of a bunch of students, especially when I talk to them. Their discomfort, squeamish- ness, whatever is obvious and yet why should they feel that way? There’s an inherent dignity in our human nakedness, more than any clothing could lend us, and yet we are often regarded with shame and denigration when in this state. And [ll tell ya why else I think Life Drawing is so bloody impor- tant! Because I wouldn’t have an art practice to speak of if it weren’t! It blows my mind when I hear students moaning about yet another drawing class. The human body is so fan- tastically filled with stories, mythologies, history, landscapes, and abstractions. But it takes shaking off the MTV, video arcade, PASSIVE stance to seeing: it takes becoming engaged with who we are. Which brings me to my next point: the model as side of beef, bowl of fruit, whatever. Often we are not intro- duced to the students by name but referred to as The Figure, The Model, etc. Many of us are practicing artists, dancers, actors, massage therapists, just to name a few professions. And many of us consider modeling as a career, though why, I don’t know - it’s bloody hard work! Our bodies are meant to move, not be static. In fact, I read somewhere (no, in not Cosmo) that prolonged inactivity can be quite damaging in the long run. I want danger pay! Anyway, I like it when the teacher makes a point of getting to know me and uses my name throughout the session so that students begin to see me as a person - at least that’s what I hope is happening - I could be deluding myself on this point. I love getting to know the teachers and students - when this is possible, a real synergy begins to emerge and 3 hours goes by like 20 minutes. In some cases I have become quite close to a number of people. There’s nothing worse than posing for a class of non-entities (and a teacher who spends 3/4 of the time outside the room!) and by that I mean people who aren’t connected to their own passion. In this kind of situation I get the feeling like ’m expected to contort myself into ridiculous poses in order to entertain. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Being a muse doesn’t mean I have to do all the work! It’s a reciprocal thing, this rela- tionship between student and model. Ok, think of it in terms of making love (oh, what an old-fashioned term!) - do you want to do it with someone who just lies there? No! You BOTH have to be into it, so to speak, to make magic. The same goes for drawing. I tell ya, I do my best posing when I see that spark of passion, intensity, curiosity, hell, alive- ness in the people who are drawing me. Get the pic- ture? Way And by the way we models don’t just do it for the money. Okay, we’d be lying if we claimed otherwise, but this is not the whole picture. Modeling often provides an oppor- tunity for us to meditate, to increase our physical strength and expression, and to absorb the teachings being conveyed which in turn have a direct impact on our own artistic 32 February 1999 Influx - Magazine THE MODEL SPEAKS! MUSINGS ON THE LIFE A self-interview by Una Bachinski Once upon time there was a young woman awed Una oho workin te head offer otswelbingwn utdor company herein Vancouver, Sh hated her desk job because fa her eat of hearts se was an Ari our years tera Large Celestial Bo, the amet Hale ey eeppentts boc oe Ea dra some very strange effec ters ofthe human population, Una ped to tis Large Caleta Bod ky her oof er risonlite predicament. Loan bebo, bat shar shoud oceur on the Day of Einar January 6th, 1997? Her payers wer aero This young woman got he ax oot ot serernce package! She wa fs eae [ut bread and buter and copious amo her ble once thi lump of money 0 Sedlealy x deren our tttc eee ee ee Se thus began ber new then caec sa -LIFE DRAWING MODEL where she ined hap eared "Now that we've dapensd with the whats a nice gi like ou dons in a \y nb is? mumnber.Ok som alte Strange because I spend 34 of my waking | lie naked? So uc me! Ber yt draw ime! IPs true, Tmodel for over 50 arts related organizations in the lower main land, my total numberof gigs for the 98 fall scason numbering 95 ~ hard to believe isn't? There are thousands of people