Wanstead House, London, 17 March 2019

Following Saturday morning life modelling at Lochaber Hall, I forfeited my last chance for a weekend lay-in by arriving promptly before 10:30am to start at Wanstead House on the Sunday. Somehow I felt reasonably fresh, however, so when all the artists were settled I began with sinew-stretching standing poses of 10-minutes and 15-minutes. A 35-minute seated pose – “compact”, as requested – took us to a break.

Over tea and digestives at the interval, a conversation between regular attendees and group organiser, Patrick briefly speculated on the number of years that various artists had been coming to sessions. It got me thinking about my own longevity – I made my debut here on 21 November 2012. Appearances have tailed off since the early years, with my last booking being almost exactly a year ago, but it’s always good to return.

Break-time socialising often occupies a happy half-hour so by the time we returned to our art-making there was just enough of the session left for one more 30-minute pose. Once more I was sitting, albeit now on a chair with one of my legs folded beneath me and hands resting on my knees. The silence was broken only by Patrick’s light-touch tutoring and my fleeting need to suppress cold symptoms. A nice, gentle morning.