Art in the Village, London, 15 June 2025

18 Jun 2025

Remarkably, this, my fifth Sunday life drawing session for Art in the Village, was at a fourth different venue. Having started in a chilly church hall, we first migrated to a pub function room, then found what felt like a natural home at Jacksons Lane arts centre. Whereas initially we occupied the centre’s cavernous Studio 1, however, this time we were temporarily displaced to the smaller yet still charming Studio 2.

As is customary, group organiser Cleo got us underway with warm-up exercises. Our 5-minute ‘blind drawing’ opener was curtailed at 3 minutes as artists agreed they had taken it as far as they could. Our final two challenges both went the distance, though. For the last, artists captured my form using a continually looping line – or ‘Slinky‘, as Cleo called it for those of us old enough to remember.

For the long pose, I was to be seated in such a way as to engage artists’ observation of foreshortening. My instinctive interpretation of the requirement was to slouch down and extend both legs, with an option to cross at the ankle. This was politely declined, however. Instead I was asked to spread more like a king on a throne with knees bent and one hand on each. No problem! Change is natural; we evolve together. 🙂