Brockley Adult Education Centre, London, 22 March 2023

This was a nice one – the last session of spring term attended by the most artists I’ve ever seen for a life drawing class in Brockley Adult Education Centre. Our tutor, Jo showed images of drawings and a promotional video by local star Curtis Holder as inspiration for practising the use of loose colourful fine lines. And it worked.

We began with quick poses. Not a typical 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes, or even a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, but a quirky 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1. Well why not? Mix it up. A check-in on how everyone was progressing showed all were up for the challenge and smashing it. For the next 6, 10 and 15 minutes I sat, stood and sat, taking us to our break.

Artwork by Dick Graham.

We finished with a single pose of 40-minutes. Propped up against a folding mattress, no tensions or aches, all pressure points evenly balanced, I was comfortable enough to go the distance without needing a stretch. Gentle work with the last sippings of my tasty half-time lemon and ginger tea for reward at the end. Lovely vibe in the room.