Mall Galleries, London, 30 June 2017

Oh, the suffering! My four 30-minute poses for Hesketh Hubbard Art Society at Mall Galleries began with me standing. My left hand clutched the back of my neck and its elbow was raised, while my right hand reached out slightly to the side, and my stance was open. My left elbow became sore but was tolerable. I made the mistake, however, of supporting my full upper body weight on it throughout the next half-hour. By the end of that half-hour I was trembling with pain; right pose, wrong sequence.

After the break, my third pose was a repeat of one I first tried on Monday at Anerley and Penge life drawing: sitting with one knee up and a pointing arm rested upon it, whilst the other arm reaches backwards as a balance. It looks potentially tricky but in practice was comfortable enough to tempt me into trying something unduly difficult for my finale… nearly. Professional experience eventually reminded me it would be better to lay down, albeit with a few twists.

I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of this evening, even if I hadn’t enjoyed the bodily sensations that resulted. Muscles in my side were still achy on the train home, more than an hour after the session had closed. It was also enjoyable to chat with some of the artists before, after, and during the interval. As one of the least glamorous models who pose here, I feel more keenly a duty to keep standards as high as possible; kind words from those who’ve paid to draw are always highly gratifying. Thank you.