Art in the Village, London, 27 October 2024

9 Nov 2024

Never was I more glad about clocks going back an hour at the end of British Summer Time. To arrive in good time for this Art in the Village booking, I had to be out of bed at 7:30am, having only got into bed at 2:30am after my Monsterlune catwalk capers during the night. That extra hour made a big difference. I felt unexpectedly fresh.

And I was happy because I wanted to be on especially good form for this life drawing session. It was my first at Art in the Village’s exceptional new venue, Jacksons Lane arts centre – a splendidly restored and converted former Wesleyan Methodist Church in Highgate. Its Studio 1 roof space is a perfect setting.

As at anywhere new, I made sure I was on the scene early, to both reassure the host and get acquainted with its layout myself. Congruously with my recent fashion model activities, I found Cleo arranging chairs for her artists into parallel rows with a runway space for me in between. A large silver velvet cloak would be only garment this time.

When everything was ready, artists were welcomed in. It seemed we had a full class, which was nice to see – a few newcomers, but most were familiar friendly faces from previous sessions. I got them started with five 1-minute poses, swishing nude up and down the improvised catwalk.

After this warm-up, I accessorised for a series of 10-minute poses. First, showcasing the impressive cloak to incorporate fabric, then leaning on a high table to incorporate straight lines, then seated in a wicker chair with lilies or a cane to incorporate natural materials, comfortably warm with sunshine streaming through the windows.

So: lots of fun, relaxed pace, good energy, and a fine community spirit. Most pleasing was being called ‘Stevon Schiele‘ by one of the artists. Over 12 years as a model, my style and form have regularly been likened to Egon Schiele but never before had our names been conflated so naturally. I guess a church venue inspires rechristening. 🙂