47/49 Tanner Street, London, 2 March 2022

Tanner Street life drawing is a well-established group that, in my opinion, keeps on getting better and better. Now located in ‘the flat’ – but more akin to a photographer’s studio – behind the vast redbrick ‘Ugly Duck‘ building, it has found an ideal home for its welcoming Wednesday evening gatherings.

Proportions are perfect for posing in the round, with between a dozen and two dozen artists at an optimal orbit from the model and a comfortable distance from each other. Neutral lighting is mellow while spotlights emphasise shadows and textures. With fair temperatures, plus tea and biscuits for the break, we are indeed in a good place.

And then the long and short of it… or rather the short and long. I started with six short poses – three of 2 minutes and three of 5 minutes – followed by one 10-minute pose, seated side-saddle on the floor, leaning forward on both hands. A 15-minute standing pose, arms folded behind my back, took us to the interval.

The 10-minute pose during my previous visit here was an old favourite; sitting upon the floor with one knee raised and an arm resting across it. A particularly fine drawing of that moment had been used to promote this event, so I was asked whether I would be able to recreate it for the full 55-minutes of our second half. No problem.

It’s an easy pose for me. Somehow last time I managed to put a twist in the balanced arm that made it ridiculously painful, but this time I kept everything loose and relaxed. So much so, that I declined a stretch-break after twenty minutes and opted instead to continue for twenty more before shaking out a few formative aches in my limbs.

Five minutes short of an hour, my work was done. A lack of pains does not guarantee that one will spring effortlessly into motion. Slowly, gracelessly I clambered to my feet and into clothes before joining in an appreciation of the outstanding artworks created. Such inspiration. This surely is a group that just keeps getting better and better…