If ever there was an evening for getting indoors and undressed, this was it. While last Wednesday saw a drizzle of rain before life modelling, this Wednesday had a deluge. My umbrella offered scant protection from wind-whipped volleys. By the time I arrived at the Garrett Centre for Adrian Dutton’s group, much of me was drenched.
Once again I was impressed by the artists whose commitment motivates them to join us whatever the weather, even when Zoom is offered as an alternative. More than 20 made the effort, occupying seats set out as a square, with a couple more standing by easels. We began: a 15-minute pose, five of 1 minute, then 5 minutes, 10 minutes.
Next I was asked for a 20-minute pose that would take us up to the interval. Knowing Adrian would be preparing hot dhal, snacks and tea as a half-time treat for everyone, and that it’s not unknown for his kitchen toils to result in the pose time over-running, I opted to lay down. Wisely as it turned out; a halt was called after 33 minutes.
The dhal was a delicious dish for which it was well worth tarrying a little longer on the floor. After an ample break we finished with poses of 10 minutes and 20 minutes: first standing, then sitting on the floor. Back in my still-damp clothes, I took time to admire the inspired artworks… in no hurry to navigate home ‘twixt puddles and darkness.
At long last, a date lined up for 2023. I’d already had to decline bookings with Tanner Street life drawing for February as I was in South Africa, and for July as I was going to be in North Macedonia (excuses, excuses). Third time proved to be lucky. I had no travel plans or other bookings for 11 October so I would only have to miss my regular Wednesday evening yoga group – not an infrequent sacrifice for art’s sake, sadly.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Kate.
Artwork by Daniela.
Artwork by Clive.
After a delightfully warm sunny autumnal weekend, the temperature dropped and sky darkened ahead of this midweek evening. Maybe the forecast for drizzle discouraged artists from attending in droves, but a minor influx as we got underway ensured seats were taken on all sides of the square space. We started with two poses of 2 minutes, two of 5 minutes, two of 10 minutes, and then 15 minutes to the half-time interval.
Artwork by Daniela.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Daniela.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by James.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Kate.
While artists were invited to pay their admission fees, I was first in the kitchen area to pour tea and partake of the white chocolate biscuits. After our break, a single pose of 55 minutes would see the session to its end; feeling magnanimous, I offered to stand. This evidently not being a common offer, it was accepted without dissent. I folded my arms behind my arched back and settled into a balanced stance. We began.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by James.
Artwork by Cliff Barden.
Artwork by Daniela.
Artwork by Kate.
Artwork by Raphael Elizabeth.
I was offered a stretch-break after 20 minutes but felt fine, so declined and carried on for another quarter of an hour. When I did stretch, I kept both feet rooted to avoid any need for marking positions. Come 9pm, my work was done… and a nice evening was about to get even better. Super-talented artist Clive invited me choose any one of his works as a gift. Extraordinary generosity – thank you, Clive! It will be framed. 🙂
Photo by Tanner Street Life Drawing.
After 30 bookings in 7 years, life modelling for classes at The Conservatoire has the comfortable feel of slipping into – or indeed, out of – a much loved garment. Naturally poses vary on each occasion but the grand old art room, with its facilities, furnishings and fittings is a reassuring constant. But what’s this..? New furniture? For the model? Incredible but, yes, The Conservatoire’s art room now has… a chaise longue!
The trouble, as tutor Victoria Rance observed, is that I am a ‘model longue‘. Being a six-foot-four model longue, I’m not optimised for a dainty lopsided sofa. One seeks to make a virtue of one’s predicament, however, in this case contriving most novel uses of the new prop as seemed reasonable for three poses of 1 minute, one of 5 minutes and one of 10 minutes – the latter with legs on the side arm and head lolling.
For our long pose of 2 hours I’d said standing would be fine. Not quite sure why I say rash things like that, but there it is. Even so, Victoria realised that martyrdom was not essential to achieving the desired outcome, and instead turned the chaise longue 90º and bade me perch upon its high side. This I gladly did and, after what must have felt to the artists like an eternity of bum-shuffling for maximum sustainability, we began.
The sustainability manoeuvres worked as I remained motionless on the edge for fully 45 minutes before taking a first stretch break. This lasted about quarter of an hour, in which time a selection of cakes and pastries from The Conservatoire’s cafe magically materialised. Perk! Slightly fatter, I resumed for 35 minutes, then took a much shorter stretch before finishing in good condition at 10pm. All hail the chaise longue!
Having modelled at The Birds for Leytonstone Life Drawing in late June this year, I hadn’t imagined another booking would be forthcoming this side of 2024. Sometimes, however, whims and wheels work in weird ways. I was blessed both with this session and another in November this year. Oh, I do love this group!
Artwork by Paul Green.
Group organiser, Jennifer had been away taking a well-deserved holiday in June, but was back at the helm for this session with her special lighting and life-size skeleton. I sense she sees similarities between me and the skeleton, so uses me for anatomical comparison when offering guidance to her artists.
Artwork by Paul Green.
We’d begun with warm-up work: three poses of 1 minute each, then four of 3 minutes each. Next I went face-down on the floor for 5 minutes in a kind of push-up style, with one knee forward. I stood for 5 minutes in a wide stride with right arm up and left arm out. And I sat side-saddle on the floor with twisted torso and both hands grounded.
Artwork by Paul Green.
Two poses of 25 minutes each would complete our session after the midway interval. For the first I stood with my right hand on the back of my neck and my left forearm on the arch of my back. Finally I sat atop two long benches in an old favourite pose, with one arm supported by a raised knee while the other hand rested behind me.
Artwork by Paul Green.
Another very satisfying session at The Birds. Nice people all around the room. Whilst they were drawing, Jenny circulated and advised and occasionally pointed her phone in my direction. She knows I’m comfortable with photos, but I hadn’t expected a great montage reel to appear on Instagram (below) that very same evening. Bonus!
A slight shift in venue from The Art of Isolation for this afternoon session; still on the upper floor of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, but three doors to the right of its usual gallery unit while the latter hosted an exhibition by group organiser Rod Kitson.
The floor size of the new temporary space seemed about the same as the usual one, and could still accommodate a double arc of chairs and easels for artists. We opened with a 10-minute pose then quickened with three of 1-minute and four of 2-minutes
Artwork by Elin
Artwork by Zoe
Subtle differences in the layout of this stand-in venue made new poses possible. The pose space being closer to one corner of the room had some bearing on this too. For the following pose of 5 minutes I inverted and lay with my legs up the wall.
Artwork by Elin
Artwork by Zoe
Next I stood for 10 minutes in a variation of my often used arm-over-the-head stance, reaching out at waist level with the other hand, its palm open. It was becoming one of those rare sessions where every pose was a new manifestation.
Artwork by Zoe
I ended the first half in an open seated pose with arms out wide, one knee raised and legs crossed at the ankles. There was a lot here for fans of angles, foreshortening, or negative space. Happily that includes many Art of Isolation regulars.
Artwork by Zoe
After our teabreak we concluded with one long pose of 40 minutes, during which Rod gave a demonstration and tutorial on the art of portrait drawing. Of course, those who favoured capturing the whole figure were at liberty to do so. Once more I sat.
Artwork by Zoe
Artwork by Elin
In such circumstances one can’t help wondering whether the effort of sustaining a full body pose is wasted if everyone is drawing a portrait. At the end, however, I was glad to see I’d catered for all tastes. The figure-to-portrait ratio was pretty much 50:50.
Artwork by Zoe C
Artwork by Helen
Artwork by Rod Kitson
Artwork by Cliff Barden
As always when I model here, the session had been fun, friendly and full of warmth. I wish more shopping centres would make space for drop-in life drawing. It works! And whether in the main space or a few doors down, it works superbly in Surrey Quays.
Artwork by Raphael Elizabeth
Returning as model for a City Academy portrait drawing class at Arts Theatre in the West End of London, my opening ‘warm-up’ pose was to last 20 minutes. Not really a warm-up for me but for the half-a-dozen artists who were asked to capture me in four rapid sketches. Either inadvertently or tactically, however, the whole lot of them failed to grasp the requirement; with the tutor absorbed in conversation, they undertook just one leisurely rendering each.
So we moved on to a long pose that would occupy the remainder of this session. You might think that pose variations are limited for a portrait model, and indeed you would be correct – it’s hard to maintain a gurning, grinning or grotesque expression if it’s not one’s natural countenance – but if a prop or another body part is permitted to intrude, the possibilities multiply. In this instance I was asked to pose with my head resting on my right hand. No problem.
The first and only challenge was to build a platform at a suitable height for supporting my right elbow. A swift improvisation with stacked stools solved that conundrum, after which it was art all the way. I reckon I sat in pose for about 1 hour 20 minutes in total, with a solitary stretch around two-thirds of the way through. Nothing uncomfortable in this posture beyond the gentle gradual seizing-up that afflicts any prolonged stillness. Meanwhile, the artists did some great work. I hope they were suitably happy with it.
Croydon Life Drawing Group has been one of two groups this year that repeatedly, very generously, offered me life model bookings but always for dates when I wouldn’t be free. After months of on-off persistence we finally found this midsummer Saturday. Upon arrival at East Croydon United Reform Church, further persistence was needed simply to get through the church hall security doors. An artist eventually retrieved the security PIN and we started at 9:30am with poses of 5, 5, 10, 10, 15 and 15 minutes.
My last booking here – early January 2022 – was midway through the second winter of COVID-19. Back then I was naked before an arc of artists, most of whom chose to wear a face mask throughout. This time we had just one mask-wearer, while all other protective coverings were of the kind taped over windows for modesty. Several of the windows were ajar for ventilation so at leisurely intervals their coverings took turns to flap down and hypothetically expose me further… in a corner without onlookers.
After a break for beverages and biscuits, we concluded with a single pose lasting one hour and 30 minutes. I sat myself comfortably, contriving angles and negative spaces with my limbs, and there remained motionless for the opening 50 minutes. I then took a few moments to stretch anything aching or numb before settling back down to finish the task. At the end, some artists here always let it be known they find my physique a challenge – I like to think this explains the organiser’s determination to book me!
steve ritter 