The Birds, Leytonstone, 12 February 2019

Esther and I returned to Leytonstone Life Drawing at The Birds for what would be our second Valentine’s duo life modelling session in as many days. We’d posed here together last summer and our first-half pose times, just as then, would be 5-minutes, 10-minutes and 25-minutes. To begin, we stood in an embrace.

This first pose – in which my left hand supported Esther’s raised right knee – echoed an erotic drawing by Gustav Klimt recently exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Group organiser, Jennifer had asked us for “intimate” poses so that’s what we served up. For the next 10-minutes Esther straddled me, sitting on my lap.

This wasn’t about ‘sexing-up’ life drawing – we’re professional models and a genuine couple. Intimacy came naturally, but our purpose and practice remained respectful of established life room boundaries. We felt at ease and the artists seemed relaxed too as they focused on their work. Our 25-minute pose saw Esther reclining across me.

We were to finish with an hour-long pose, but the break overran slightly so it became 55-minutes instead. Still bags of time to get very uncomfortable with a poor choice of position, but we’d practised beforehand and got this one right… well, nearly. Esther’s head was tilted back onto my shoulder, which proved to be a pain in her neck.

This evening had been part two of three in our series of Valentine’s duo bookings. We will be at cave in Pimlico on Tuesday 19 February; this year’s final instalment. Each session is different according to the setting, how we interpret the atmosphere, and the way our bodies are moved to respond. The fun is in the discovery (and the intimacy).