Harmony Hall, London, 11 April 2022

I was pleasantly surprised to return so soon. My début session in Harmony Hall for Walthamstow Lifedrawing was arranged at a mere two days’ notice. One can never be entirely sure in such circumstances, whether it’s a booking born of appreciation or desperation. Happily, being asked to return just 6 weeks later looks like the former.

This session differed from the last in a couple of noteworthy ways. First, I could meet Harriet, who booked me each time but wasn’t able to attend in February. Second, the group had to vacate the premises by 9:30pm so a community gathering for Ramadan could begin promptly. Fine. At 7:30pm sharp, we started with four 5-minute poses.

Three longer poses followed: 10 minutes sitting on the floor, 10 minutes upright, then 20 minutes on my backside again, albeit differently angled. Part of the challenge was not only to vary the poses in this session, but also to avoid repeating any I’d used my previous – very recent – visit.

Our mid-session break was kept short to make sure we would finish a little before the usual time of quarter past nine. The temperature had dropped so I was obliged with a heater for the last half-hour. I’d planned to sit in the group’s small canvas tripod chair, but it felt ungainly when I tried. Instead I said: “Oh, I’ll just stand and be done with it!”

During the pose there was a knock on the door as someone outside wanted a word. I sensed the Ramadan crowd had assembled… At the end, we had just enough time to admire everyone’s art before loud prayers began booming beyond the main entrance and we were all ushered out the fire escape! Crazy times, but a really good session.