Mall Galleries, London, 16 April 2018

Portrait work is the one form of modelling for which I routinely pose in my own clothes. The first time I sat for portrait artists at Hesketh Hubbard Art Society I wore a white shirt with black waistcoat. The second time I chose a loose-fitting, open-necked shirt in deepest turquoise. Third time? Oh, decisions, decisions. I opted for blue again.

It came down to a choice between hippy white, collarless yellow, stripy orange or dark blue smart-casual; a last-minute whim steered me to the latter. I decided it would work best with my newly slicked-back hair and brief flirtation with sideburns. Of course if I’m given enough bookings, I dare say I’ll eventually pose in each. Palettes at the ready…

Insufficient sleep the night before did not bode well for 2-hours of attentive wakefulness with a fixed gaze and unwavering expression. Charcoal scratches, occasional coughs, random phone pings, time calls every quarter of an hour – these alone would not keep my eyelids from flickering, so once again I set myself distracting mental challenges.

Psychologically the task is easier after half-time tea and biscuits; it’s that ‘all downhill from here’ feeling. As I cogitated words for another blog I was writing, the time passed painlessly. Come the end, I recorded them on paper but not before checking out some very impressive works. This was a good evening to be in the chair at Mall Galleries.