The Victoria Stakes, London, 1 July 2024
My first booking of 2024 with The Moon and Nude saw me once again taking centre stage – or rather, the centre of a large oval of chairs – at The Victoria Stakes pub in Muswell Hill. Sadly the group’s organiser, Julia couldn’t be present but it was good to reconnect with others in this friendly community of artists.
Artwork by Alan Baines.
Early summer temperatures were comfortable and I was happy for curtains to remain open – at most I might be glimpsed by passengers on the top deck of passing buses. Nonetheless, the possibility of complaints was apparently real, but worth a risk for the natural light, while it lasted. We started with poses of 3, 3, 3, 5, 10 and 15 minutes.
For the final 20-minute pose before our half-time break, I stood with my back arched, left foot a small pace forward, right hand on right hip, and left hand raised. During the interval, artists said they thought my raised arm must have ached. It hadn’t; but there was enough in that back arch to make this easily the session’s most painful pose.
Artwork by Alan Baines.
Artwork by Alan Baines.
Two 20-minute poses concluded our second half. I sat upon a high bar stool for both, first facing north, then turning south. Not for polar alignment, but out of consideration for where most artists were clustered. It’s not possible to make each pose perfect for everyone in the round, but one does at least try to be fair to all… and please most!
steve ritter 