Detroit Workshop in the Books!

This past weekend I conducted the first workshop I’ve done since early February. This one took place in Detroit, Michigan on the dates originally scheduled. I have another one still on schedule for next month in Indiana, and three others that were rescheduled from the spring.

We did have to make a number of concessions thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. We skipped the Friday night meet and greet originally scheduled at a nearby bar and grill. The hotel moved us into a giant ballroom and we were able to really spread out, with 8-10 feet between tables and one artist per table. We wore masks anytime we were not seated at our individual tables drawing. When we did the live drawing exercise we were very spread out and had 6-8 feet between model and artist. Hand sanitizer was abundant. I also only had 11 students total. We had a safe and fun time.

Things continue to go up and down with the pandemic. I had to completely cancel workshops I had scheduled in Vienna, Dublin, Sydney and Melbourne in 2020. Of my rescheduled workshops, this weekend I am doing the “Caricature Illustration” workshop here in Minnesota originally scheduled for March. This one is going on as planned, since Minnesota current allows for gatherings of up to 250 people or 25% of maximum capacity in an indoor area. Later this month I have a rescheduled workshop in NYC. I am not sure if that one is going to happen or will have to again be rescheduled, as right now traveling into NY from Minnesota requires a 14 day quarantine, and that is of course not possible. Next month workshops in Indianapolis and Chicago are on track to be able to take place with similar social distancing and masking requirements in place, but if travel restrictions or other regressions in safety orders happen, that may cause them to be rescheduled again.

I have had some questions as to when I will start scheduling workshops again. I have no firm answer to that, but my feeling is “no time soon”. It’s been tough rescheduling the ones I had planned for 2020, and there is no guarantee anything I might plan even in early 2021 will be able to take place as planned. I’m afraid I will just have to wait until the pandemic is pretty much behind us, and I know if I plan a workshop somewhere it will not need to be cancelled or rescheduled. That probably means the second half of 2021, but who knows?

I’d like to thank all the people who stuck with the workshops I had to reschedule, and these that are taking place with so many restrictions. The good news is the one I just did in Detroit went off well and I feel the experience was not compromised.