Dominique is an Australian model who did Zoom sessions during Covid-19, while she was staying in the Netherlands.
How it all started
My first session with Dominique was one of the first that Deryck did, at the beginning of May 2020. I was feeling uplifted after this session in which I loved everything: the model (which is always a combination of body, personality, face and inspiration), the lighting, the acrobatic poses… It seems that Dominique loved my drawings too and so she has added me to the group that opened in June 2020. It felt great – just like the artists in the movies – I got lucky and found my muse. I decided to go to as many of her sessions as possible to take advantage of this period – as long as there are recordings on Zoom, as long as Dominique is modeling and not returning to her regular work.
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Dealing with Dominique’s poses challenges
Dominique is a person who leaves you on the edge of your seat. The special themes for each session and the non-standard poses always kept me alert, pushing me to make an effort. With the effort came the improvement in abilities, which made me think of her as a kind of an art coach, who challenges you every time anew.
After a few months I could see that I was able to produce a good drawing even after a short time, compared to the long hours I used to devote to each drawing. As my abilities improved, I bought a lot of art equipment: an easel, many paints and papers.
Meeting others in sessions
Dominique chose the artists in the group carefully because she wanted to maintain the intimate and family discourse. There is no doubt that this was one of the unique things about this group. I was very happy to receive feedback from other artists who saw the process I went through as well as to receive inspiration and motivation to improve from seeing their works.
It was also interesting to hear how the world is dealing with Covid and to absorb bits of life and stories from everyone’s life, including Dominique’s, of course. The conversation continued beyond the sessions on Facebook and Instagram.
Without Dominique I would not be where I am today – artistically speaking – and I am grateful for her sessions.
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