The Star*, London, 6 November 2019

Maybe I’d given myself a hard act to follow. After the previous week’s Jolly Sketcher short-pose Halloween special at The Star* in Archway, I was returning to the same venue for an evening of long poses. No skeletal body paint or props this time around; just me, my body, the floor and a sofa. This was one for the purists.

By the time this evening’s artists had settled down in a wide arc around me, we were running a couple of minutes late. Group organiser, Tanja immediately got us back on track by starting with a 3-minute pose instead of the originally-intended five. We then continued: 5-minutes, 10, 10, 15 and 15-minutes.

At the interval everyone headed downstairs to enjoy pre-ordered pies in the main bar area. I wasn’t having a pie myself but I followed anyway, not least because it gave an excuse for me to get back into my chunky clothes and warm-up for a while. Our room hadn’t been terribly cold – the heaters did their job – but extra insulation never hurts.

A single long pose occupied the whole of our second half. I got myself comfortable on the sofa and mentally prepared for 55-60 minutes thus. No matter how cosy one feels at the outset, a few aches will always manifest towards the end of a static hour. It was fine, though. Two enjoyable visits in two weeks – a recommended venue.