The Winchester, London, 26 May 2026

3 Jun 2026

It was early afternoon on the hottest day of the UK’s late-May heatwave yet transport networks were already failing. Most London underground lines were showing ‘Severe Delays’. With nothing better to do, I decided to leave early for The Winchester.

In the ten minutes it took to walk from my home to my nearest rail station all mainline train services ceased, with line failures at both ends of the track. Nothing got through after 2:30pm for more than a whole frustrating hour.

When a train finally arrived some time after half-three, it had four carriages instead of the usual eight, no air conditioning and every station was busy. The journey was slow and stifling; a stop-start crawl all the way to my London Overground connection.

Relieved to have made it thus far at least, I then find all trains on the Overground line are suspended due to a broken-down freight train. When trains did eventually start to trickle through, the first was missed as passengers were sent to the wrong platform.

After a grimly Dantesque journey of three hours fifty minutes instead of the usual one hour twenty, I arrived – on time – for Living Art Life Drawing. It was no surprise that fewer artists than usual had also managed to defy the odds and join us.

Perhaps because I’d anticipated problems and allowed so much extra time, I actually felt quite relaxed and relatively fresh for modelling. This is such an outstanding group to work for in every possible regard that I would hate to give less than my best.

As per my previous visit in January, everything was organised perfectly: there was a fan for the pose space, I was offered water, sheets and cushions were present, there were constant updates on pose times, and I wasn’t rushed between poses.

I find the progress calls on pose times (“5 minutes left”, “1 minute left”…) so important and so helpful, it surprises me that not all groups do it. In addition this group also has the most brilliant playlists with which I can either measure time or simply lose myself.

Artworks around the room were superb. If the artists were hot and bothered, it did not reflect in their creativity. I was sad for organisers Françoise and Alex that there were not more people drawing, but for me, arduous journey notwithstanding, it was a joy.