LiveFriday at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum gets MARC WEST’S creative juices flowing

For someone who can’t even draw a stick man in proportion, the idea of attending an event celebrating the drawn line was rather daunting. However, the latest installment of this late night series certainly compelled me to join in and (at least) have a go.

As home to one of the world’s most important collections of works on paper, the Ashmolean’s Come Draw with Me married the museum’s own collection with the LiveFriday ethos of inviting visitors to ‘do’ as well as ‘see’.

The current show, Master Drawings, includes artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Turner and David Hockney. It’s simply stunning! Obviously, I could never hope to achieve their greatness, but it certainly got my creative juices flowing.

So, I got stuck into a series of drawing demonstrations and workshops exploring myriad techniques and materials used by both artists and draughtsman throughout history – from ancient hieroglyphics to today’s hi-tech iPads.

There was also the chance for young and old alike to participate in performances from Oxford Theatre Guild, life drawing inspired by Roman and Greek sculpture and patchwork chalk doodlings on the forecourt – my favourite! And after all this full-on creativity, what better way to end the night than by enjoying a drink or two in the fantastic roof-top bar overlooking the city as the sun sets – the perfect place for culture vultures to relax.

Next month, the museum promises the chance to focus your lens on an evening of analogue photographic adventure…this is surely not to be missed – see you there!