The Art of Collin Douma

"A gesture could whisper something honest without saying a word"
- Collin Douma
At first, I didn’t see the point. Just a room full of people, quietly drawing naked strangers. It felt awkward, a little absurd. But eventually, I started to notice things—posture, weight, the way a gesture could whisper something honest without saying a word.
Then it shifted. The poses stretched longer, the lines grew more intentional. It stopped being about bodies and became about structure—how a body holds space, how light moves across skin, how a shoulder can speak. That’s when I started using watercolor. I liked how unpredictable it was. Like the body, it refused to behave unless you met it halfway.
I don’t show this work much. It’s not about the result. It’s a ritual now. A quiet place to focus, to practice, to fall in step with others doing the same strange, beautiful thing—trying to hold on to something brief and make it last a little longer.
After 30+ years, I’ve come to value the community life drawing fosters. Sessions bring together artists and models in a supportive, creative space. We draw, laugh, exhibit and celebrate life together, and life drawing artists remain some of the loveliest people I’ve met.
Some of the open workshops I have drawn at include:
Toronto School of Art: Toronto ON
Spring Studio: New York NY
Unison Art Center: New Paltz NY
Woodstock School of Art: Woodstock NY
D.R.A.W. Kingston: Kingston NY
New York City Subway: New York, NY
Drawing From Life
1993 - Ongoing
