Rod Kitson studio, London, 13 June 2024

In June 2023, the BBC reported on Rod Kitson: the artist who has painted almost 400 Londoners. In June 2024, I had the honour of becoming Rod’s number 459. For many of his 400+ portrait sitters, it was a one-time experience, whereas my own mug has often been portrayed by Rod’s life drawing group at The Art of Isolation. Even so, this sitting felt like a uniquely special session.

For a start, it was one-to-one; still at The Art of Isolation in Surrey Quays but in Rod’s backroom studio rather than the community art space. Also I wasn’t being paid by the hour, or indeed at all. I felt flattered to be invited and pleased to be supporting a good project and a good guy. The only similarity to life modelling here was it lasted 2 hours with a break at half-time for tea. At the end, an extraordinary likeness was revealed.

I can’t recall the last time 2 hours seemed to fly by so quickly. It helped that Rod likes to chat while painting. We talked about life, about art, about life art; the scene, artists, models, and any other matters to which our meandering minds might momentarily be drawn. My sole modelling focus was to keep my head still, but even that was more to satisfy my own standards than at Rod’s insistence. It was a nice positive connection.

To find out more about this special project, go to Instagram: Rod Kitson portraits.

To find our whether I kept my head still, check out the video below!