The Art of Isolation, London, 6 April 2024

This was my first visit to The Art of Isolation in Surrey Quays since I’d posed as part of their 2023 end-of-year party. There was never going to be the same artist numbers on a Saturday after Easter but it was nice to see several familiar friendly faces.

Artwork by Elin.

Artwork by Helen.

Artwork by Elin.

Artwork by Elin.

Artwork by Natalia Boyarintseva.

This session was focused on ‘foreshortening and anatomy’. I usually showcase these wherever I go as an inevitable consequence of my physique, but here I offered a little extra emphasis. We began with poses of 10, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 5 and 10 minutes.

One pose of 15 minutes completed our first half. I stood in an open stance, left hand on left hip, outstretched right hand supported by a pole, ribs and tendons maximised. Even with all this glorious anatomy on show, some just love to make a portrait. 😀

Artwork by Ned.

We paused for tea and biscuits before setting-up a final pose of 35 minutes. This was the prime study of foreshortening: I sat with legs open and out forwards, arms up and out to the sides. Tutor Rod Kitson led with a challenging drawing demo.

Artwork by Rod Kitson.

Artwork by Ned.

Artwork by Helen.

Artwork by Elin.

As ever when interesting tuition is going on – in this case, the demo – time absolutely raced by. And at the end… all these glorious drawings. It’s great when there’s a party, but still it’s always a joy being party to the real-time creative process with artists.