Mall Galleries, London, 1 December 2023
Now this was a rare treat. My recent bookings with Hesketh Hubbard Art Society at Mall Galleries have been for portraits or single long poses but on this occasion – the first of its kind for more than 3 years – I was invited to the short pose platform.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
In advance of the session, I gave consideration to my choice of four 15-minute poses and two 30-minute poses. It’s almost unknown for me to prepare a full ‘pose plan’ but intuition told me this was the right time. On the evening itself I felt positively serene.
Artwork by Yuxuan Zhou.
It was nice to see so many familiar friendly faces amongst the artists around all three pose spaces. In particular, it was great to meet Jana Williams at last – model for the long pose, organiser of life art groups, and a smart no-nonsense presence online.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
So anyway, there I was with my pose plan. I’d stood tilting for 15-minutes (a tad achy, that one), I’d stood with one arm over my head and the other behind my back, and I’d sat with a knee and an arm raised. One more pose till tea and chocolate digestives.
Even the pose before the break – standing with arms shaped like a twisted square at my back, which I’d never previously attempted for longer than 5 minutes – felt good. I treated myself to a bonus custard cream. Just two half-hour poses remained.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
Artwork by Yuxuan Zhou.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
I stood and I sat, well-balanced and comfortable; I didn’t even notice my lightly purple numb left hand until the very end. But I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, meeting new people and catching-up with those I’d known for years. My spirits lifted. Thank you.
steve ritter 