Westminster Quaker Meeting House, London, 16 April 2024

My third booking with London Drawing this year was my first at their Covent Garden venue: Westminster Quaker Meeting House. It would also be a first chance to work with tutor Josie Deighton – someone I felt I’d known from afar for years without ever having occasion to meet in person. It was a pleasure to put that right.

The wide space of the meeting house hall had room enough for many artists but only three or four were present when I arrived early. One never knows what attendance to expect when somewhere new so I was delighted to see what must have been almost forty artists all keen to draw as we began with five poses of 2 minutes.

Unfazed by the high turnout, Josie diligently worked the room, proffering constructive advice to each individual artist. I too was shown every care and consideration as she frequently checked whether there was anything I might want or need. But I am a very low maintenance life model. 🙂 Poses of 5, 20 and 20 minutes took us to a break.

Artwork by Greg Genestine-Charlton.

Our second half was not wildly dissimilar to the first. Again we started with five poses each of 2 minutes, but so sharply that I barely had time to finish my tea. What else to do except freeze in a dynamic panicked pose with the mug to my lips? One half-hour pose completed a session of great energy and positivity. Thank you, Josie!