Sketches by Eva Gillis-Buck

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

In college, I found it was difficult to fit in both studio art classes and laboratory time – both are long and grueling in their own way. I chose the laboratory, but figure drawing has been a way for me to stay connected to the visual arts. The figure drawing studio is where I can totally relax and focus at the same time: there I find a ‘flow state.'

 

In San Francisco, I found an amazing place to draw where I feel right at home: Michael Markowitz’s 23rd Street Studio. I cannot recommend it highly enough. When I go to 23rd Street Studio, I know I will be able to draw fantastic models in a relaxed environment with incredible art, music, and freshly baked snacks.

 

I make time for art in medical school because drawing is a practice I love that is good for my mental health, like yoga. It is simultaneously relaxing, emotional, and productive. Drawing the figure is my favorite because it allows me to see the beauty and infinite complexity present in all human bodies.

 

 

Eva Gillis-Buck is a second-year M.D. student who grew up in Pittsburgh, PA where she took art classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art since elementary school and eventually at Carnegie Mellon’s PreCollege Art Program.

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