Mall Galleries, London, 1 August 2022

Long pose sessions for Hesketh Hubbard Art Society at Mall Galleries have a way of turning into a test of endurance. I’ve written previously about some of the localised dynamics that must be negotiated or tolerated. Artists this evening were considerate, respectful, attentive and kind, right from the outset. The fact that it ultimately became an excruciatingly awful experience was entirely my own fault. Well, mine and a fly’s…

At the interval.

At the interval.

Having been given a long, broad, well-padded seat on which to pose, I took it in mind to pull up my legs and form a kind of side-saddle posture, left hand on left ankle, right hand resting on an edge of the seat. Ten minutes into the first hour, I began to feel an ache in my right palm that no amount of miniscule shuffling would alleviate. And most annoyingly, I was buzzed and crawled over by a housefly for the whole 60 minutes.

Artwork by John Williams.

When we resumed after a 15-minute interval, the fly abandoned me to my own pains. During the first half the artists had offered me a stretch break but, maybe because I’d declined, no further offer was made. The aches in my right hand, and now my left leg became agonising. At the end it took me several minutes to stand and even longer to walk. I think I left in a haze of low-level post-torture shock. Great pictures, though!