Wringer and Mangle, London, 27 September 2016

Describing itself online as “London Fields’ neighbourhood hangout bar and restaurant“, Wringer and Mangle has ample spaces. The broad expanse of its ground floor is for diners, whilst the concrete cavern below is ‘Mangle’, a live music venue and nightclub. Mangle is also the latest addition to Adrian Dutton’s portfolio of London life drawing venues. It would be the fifth in which I’d worked with him.

I opened with a 15-minute standing pose. The floor mat here is much spongier than at Adrian’s other venues, which makes it perfect for sitting and reclining at length but its push-back requires extra effort to balance upon when upright. Once accustomed to it, however, I proceeded nicely: 1-minute, 2-minutes, 3, 5, 10 and 20-minutes to a break, then 10, 3, 2, 1, 20 and 20-minutes to a finish.

It was a comfortable session with a pleasing postscript. When I modelled for Adrian’s long pose session at the beginning of the month, I had left my umbrella backstage in the Garrett Centre. Happily, Adrian looked for it when he next visited the venue and, lo, he found it and returned it here. Maybe my luck with umbrellas is turning. Certainly I count myself a lucky and honoured man to be booked for these groups.