The Workshop N4, London, 10 September 2019

Back to Haringey, north London for the first session in a new term of adult life drawing at The Workshop N4. As I passed through its front door, the first thing that struck me was a heady air of sweetly fragrant incense. The group’s organiser, Lisa explained this was to refresh the aroma left by the day’s earlier children’s group…

Multiple misfortunes aligned on my previous visit here to ensure that I was modelling for considerably less than a full house of artists. Happily, we enjoyed a 400% increase in attendance this evening. I started with a 15-minute standing pose and then followed it with sideways and forward-facing seated poses of 20-minutes each.

We had time enough for a last pose of 25-minutes – something of the reclining variety, maybe. I suggested sitting on the floor but resting my arms and head upon a low stool that was draped with cloth. I knew from experience it would ultimately render my arms numb, but also knew the numbness couldn’t last too long in a pose of this length.

In due course I did indeed lose sensation in my arms but only for a few minutes before the end. After a moment or two to recover, I was on my feet and enjoying the drawings that had been crafted. It had been my third time modelling here this year – more than I imagined could be the case at the outset – and each occasion has been a jolly one.