Private booking, London, 13 January 2024

Life modelling 2024 started slowly but sweetly, with Esther in my arms for the third of our monthly bookings with artist Avidyā. When she’s not making art Avidyā practices energy healing – it’s curious to pose for somebody who is less interested in capturing our physical presence than our spiritual essence and the energy of our connection.

For the painting above, a quick opening pose put our profiles in the lower foreground, after which our pale spirits ascended behind from a longer pose. Plenty of breaks are encouraged during what are essentially two hours of untimed freestyle work. Comfort is prioritised over precision each time we resume after a stretch. It’s quality time.

Nice too to see the fruits of our previous collaborations still in the studio. The painting above was from our last session together in December. Esther also often poses solo for Avidyā, most recently sitting for the stunning artwork below. Our next appointment is on Chinese New Year – what art shall we make as we enter the dragon?