Mall Galleries, London, 30 August 2024

How frustrating it is when one allows plenty of time to travel for a booking, one’s train arrives punctually at the station, but it then remains interminably inert by the platform because someone pulled the emergency chord and the driver can’t reset the doors…

I worked out an alternative route into the city, but valuable minutes had already been lost. Sadly it meant my 2-hour long pose at Mall Galleries for Hesketh Hubbard Art Society was truncated to just 1 hour 40 minutes this evening.

By the time I arrived, artists had settled into drawing short, medium and portrait pose models. I was immensely grateful that any opted to relocate and draw me: two at the outset, another four after the first half-hour medium pose, and one more later.

At the time of being booked I’d offered to stand for this pose. Usually models choose to lay down but, having rocked up late, there was more reason for me to go the extra mile. I stood for 40 minutes to begin; waiting 30 before shaking out my numbness.

Tea and biscuits were taken after this first 40 minutes (everyone else’s 60). Following the interval, I completed the second hour with a shake-break every 20-minutes. I had learned the hard way that leaving it half an hour was just a smidgeon too long.

Artwork by John Williams.

Artwork by John Govett.

Artwork by Anthony Roe.

I’ve suffered on the long pose platform here in the past, but this session was actually quite beautiful. I felt genuinely appreciated by those who came to draw me, and I felt the same towards them. Such a shame I couldn’t have given them the full 2 hours.