The Conservatoire, Blackheath, 27 March 2017

This two-and-a-half hour class at The Conservatoire in Blackheath was to open with some rapid warm-up poses, then be followed by an hour standing and an hour seated. Rather than posing in the round, as has been case here previously, I was to be spotlit against a wall covered by textured material to capture my shadow. I commenced with three 1-minute poses, then stood for 5-minutes with one hand extended and the other resting upon my chest.

For a final short pose lasting 10-minutes, I sat upon the low platform in a manner that accentuated my limbs. Unexpectedly tutor Victoria Rance asked if I might like to be photographed in situ. She knows I always carry a small camera for snapping pictures of the artists’ work; now here was a chance to record their inspirations. She captured me from a few angles during this pose and the two long poses that followed – starting with the hour (or perhaps 50-minutes) standing.

The two main poses were both comfortable, but I accepted the offer of a stretch break during each. Only an achy left elbow from the standing pose needed any real shaking out. For the final pose I was to perch upon a high stool; we tried a number of postures until Victoria asked simply that I be ‘symmetrical‘ in a relaxed attitude, facing towards the spotlight. As I slouched in an embrace of warm air from the nearby heater, I could have happily nodded to sleep.

The last pose of the evening was also the last pose of this term for Victoria’s drawing group. Cakes were shared around as a celebration for those who’d enjoyed the class, and an encouragement for them to sign-up for the next term. I’m already signed-up to pose for one session in June. It will be my first time during the summer months and I can’t wait to experience this magnificent glass-roofed studio during the light evenings. Hopefully many local artists will be of a like mind.