Eastbourne House, London, 24 August 2015

I’ve gotten into a curious habit. If I’m life modelling on a weekday evening and there is enough time after my day job’s done, I like to pop home and change into comfortable clothes. This may seem odd given that for most of the next few hours I’ll be nude, but somehow it helps me to arrive feeling more relaxed… more myself.

When up to thirty artists are drawing my poses, unless they spied me before I slipped into a lightweight gown, they would have just my unadorned naked form as a template on which to ascribe character; there would be few visible tokens of my life story. Thus, their art becomes a way of dressing me in the new clothes of their own perceptions. It is one of the more fascinating aspects of being a life model.

I’m no stranger to the Monday night life class run by Adrian Dutton in Bethnal Green. It’s arguably the flagship of his weekly groups. Experience has shown me that when they are on form here, the artworks can be fascinating, distinctive, quirky and sublime. These artists know how to dress a model with vision, deftness and personality.

During the first hour I posed for 10 minutes, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 30 seconds, 3, 5, 10 and 25 minutes. After breaking for hot pasta, biscuits and tea, I followed with poses of 10 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 15 minutes that became 23, and 17 minutes to end. It was a good work-out; exhausting but never uncomfortable.

After re-wrapping in my casual rags, I returned for a look at the many works laid upon the floor for general admiration. The group had indeed been on good form this evening. Many offered me their individual thanks as they left, which was much appreciated. As I stepped out into the spitting rain of a dark humid night, I was a happy man.