The Art of Isolation, London, 27 August 2023

A slight shift in venue from The Art of Isolation for this afternoon session; still on the upper floor of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, but three doors to the right of its usual gallery unit while the latter hosted an exhibition by group organiser Rod Kitson.

The floor size of the new temporary space seemed about the same as the usual one, and could still accommodate a double arc of chairs and easels for artists. We opened with a 10-minute pose then quickened with three of 1-minute and four of 2-minutes

Artwork by Elin

Artwork by Zoe

Subtle differences in the layout of this stand-in venue made new poses possible. The pose space being closer to one corner of the room had some bearing on this too. For the following pose of 5 minutes I inverted and lay with my legs up the wall.

Artwork by Elin

Artwork by Zoe

Next I stood for 10 minutes in a variation of my often used arm-over-the-head stance, reaching out at waist level with the other hand, its palm open. It was becoming one of those rare sessions where every pose was a new manifestation.

Artwork by Zoe

I ended the first half in an open seated pose with arms out wide, one knee raised and legs crossed at the ankles. There was a lot here for fans of angles, foreshortening, or negative space. Happily that includes many Art of Isolation regulars.

Artwork by Zoe

After our teabreak we concluded with one long pose of 40 minutes, during which Rod gave a demonstration and tutorial on the art of portrait drawing. Of course, those who favoured capturing the whole figure were at liberty to do so. Once more I sat.

Artwork by Zoe

Artwork by Elin

In such circumstances one can’t help wondering whether the effort of sustaining a full body pose is wasted if everyone is drawing a portrait. At the end, however, I was glad to see I’d catered for all tastes. The figure-to-portrait ratio was pretty much 50:50.

Artwork by Zoe C

Artwork by Helen

Artwork by Rod Kitson

Artwork by Cliff Barden

As always when I model here, the session had been fun, friendly and full of warmth. I wish more shopping centres would make space for drop-in life drawing. It works! And whether in the main space or a few doors down, it works superbly in Surrey Quays.

Artwork by Raphael Elizabeth