Canada Street Studios, London, 6 September 2019

Bow Arts Trust opened its Canada Street Studios only last November yet already a community of artists has formed within its rented spaces. As an aid to group bonding, monthly life drawing sessions have been organised on site and I had the great honour of being invited to pose for their September gathering.

It was artist Rosa Beiroa who had booked me and who unlocked the front gate to let me in. I was shown upstairs to a screened-off area of floor space next to their kitchen facility. This was to be my stage, while artists would mostly be sitting upon the floor in an arc around me. We began with a 10-minute pose – time for latecomers to arrive.

Artists numbered five to begin with, and remained five at the end of pose one. Indeed they were still numbering five after four poses of 5-minutes each, plus one more pose of 10-minutes had completed the first half. During a break for tea and crisps, however, a further three rocked-up so we saw out this session as a merry company of eight.

15-minutes seated on the floor, 20-minutes standing and 15-minutes sitting on a chair completed my evening’s work. True to intentions it felt more like a gathering of friends than studio neighbours. This being a monthly event, I do not expect to return any time soon – alas, maybe never – but I wish them every happiness. Lovely people.