A short-notice booking brought me back to The Plough and Harrow in Leytonstone for the first time since 2017. Not that Life Drawing in Leytonstone neglected me for more than 5 years; venues change, and now this one had switched back. We started with three 3-minute nude poses, and then 5 minutes with my clothes back on.
Artwork by Olga Szynkarczuk.
“Clothes back on?” You heard correct. This was group organiser Jennifer’s concept: I would first pose for 5 minutes clothed, then strip off and hold the exact same pose for 5 minutes naked. Artists would draw me nude each time – first from imagination, next from observation – and compare. Great fun: the art of mentally undressing strangers!
Artwork by Jennifer Wolf.
Artwork by Mark Doherty.
Energised by the originality of our dressed/undressed poses, I became careless with subsequent selections and adopted a needlessly uncomfortable kneeling position for the next 12 minutes. When set free from tearing tightness in tendons and toes, I was kinder to myself in choosing a side-saddle seated pose for 12 minutes to our break.
Artwork by Olga Szynkarczuk.
Artwork by Mark Doherty.
After the interval we would have two 20-minute poses taking us through to the end of the evening. Yet again I got it wrong, adding an unnecessary extra torso tilt to a pose with one arm over my head and the other stretching across my chest. It meant a little too much muscle effort was required to compensate for a slight overbalance.
Artwork by Mark Doherty.
Even with self-inflicted aches and pains, I do love working for this group. Once again my recovery position was sitting down, this time with one knee crooked upwards and both arms reaching forwards. I was feeling happy… and my smile didn’t go unnoticed by keen-eyed artists. 🙂
Artwork by Mark Doherty.
Four sessions in 2023 for City Academy at Arts Theatre, with no two alike. This one was rather spartan – a ‘Painting the figure‘ class led by one stand-in tutor (José), with one model (me) for one student. Without a plethora of people and paints, studios can be cold, cold places; and with just a pair of diminutive floor heaters toiling against the odds, this one certainly was. After ‘warming up’ with poses of 5, 7, and 7 minutes, we set-up the long pose that would occupy most of the evening’s two and a half hours.
My angular short poses had been well received, so I was asked to provide something similar for the long pose. A pose that can be held for 5 minutes cannot necessarily be held for 95, but with a couch and careful consideration we concocted a compromise. I endured a chilly first 40 minutes up to our break, then repositioned the heaters so our next 50 minutes were tolerable enough for me to agree extending by 5 minutes more. It had been a tough, peculiar gig, but a nice painting justified it… just. 🙂
Back at Mall Galleries to sit for the portrait artists of Hesketh Hubbard Art Society, my first objective was accessing their pivotal throne. Again and again, I paced round the perimeter of portraitists who’d assembled tightly into a double arc but I could find no means of ingress. It was a busy night. When finally an oil painter momentarily left his station, I slid carefully betwixt poised paraphernalia and eased into the hotseat.
As always, it was to be a 2-hour pose: 1-hour without a break then fifteen minutes for tea and biscuits, followed by a final hour without a break. Imperceptible to my myopic vision, Esther was at the far end of the gallery fashioning 15/30-minute poses, whilst our friend the legendary Leo @Jigglechick87 held a long pose between us. Cometh the hour’s end, I took stock of works in progress; loved that one below!
In a domestic setting it’s not unknown for me to make a mug of tea last for an hour or more, but here speed was of the essence. I orbited in front of the refreshments table, taking a custard cream, digestive or ginger snap each time to help the hot drink on its way down. Thus sated, I returned for the second hour, which as always seemed to fly faster than the first. And what magnificent works resulted…
Artwork by Richard Gray.
Artwork by Desmond Sloane.
Artwork by Tony Swann.
The disciplines of life modelling and portrait modelling are profoundly different, and in more ways than the obvious. It doesn’t follow at all that just because a person has an aptitude and inclination for life modelling they will be equally willing and able to sit for portraitists. Nonetheless, perhaps inexplicably I’m ever more content to do it and was very happy to sit back while the brilliance of Leo and Esther shone for life.
“Model trifecta of the apocalypse…”
Addendum
Two months after this session I finally learned who was responsible for the in-progress painting I’d admired so much at the interval. Thank you, Barbara Storey! Her finished (“kind of”) work is below.
This was a nice one – the last session of spring term attended by the most artists I’ve ever seen for a life drawing class in Brockley Adult Education Centre. Our tutor, Jo showed images of drawings and a promotional video by local star Curtis Holder as inspiration for practising the use of loose colourful fine lines. And it worked.
We began with quick poses. Not a typical 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes, or even a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, but a quirky 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1. Well why not? Mix it up. A check-in on how everyone was progressing showed all were up for the challenge and smashing it. For the next 6, 10 and 15 minutes I sat, stood and sat, taking us to our break.
Artwork by Dick Graham.
We finished with a single pose of 40-minutes. Propped up against a folding mattress, no tensions or aches, all pressure points evenly balanced, I was comfortable enough to go the distance without needing a stretch. Gentle work with the last sippings of my tasty half-time lemon and ginger tea for reward at the end. Lovely vibe in the room.
Late 2022, early 2023 has been a time of strikes. Unionised British people are at last drawing a line and saying enough-is-enough to the duplicitous, self-serving cronyism of successive Conservative governments. Good! I support them all. And if a strike by tube workers shuts down the London Underground, so be it. We have to draw a line.
The strike on 15 March meant that instead of an 8-minute walk to the Garrett Centre from Bethnal Green tube station, I had a 38-minute trek from Limehouse train station. No problem, even in the rain. But would any artists turn up? The answer was a “yes”! About 17, I think. A tad down for one of Adrian Dutton’s groups, but commendable.
I started with a 15-minute standing pose, and artists began drawing their lines. It was comfortable work, but maybe I should have heeded an early warning when it overran by 5 minutes. Timing is crucial. We followed with five speedy poses of 1-minute each before lengthening gradually with 5 minutes (seated) and 10 minutes (standing).
The last pose before the break was supposed to be 20 minutes so I got into a seated position that I knew to be sustainable for 20 minutes. As so often happens before the break, however, we overran again. Eventually after 30 minutes with stabbing pains in my supporting left wrist, time was called. (sigh). I’ll set an alarm for myself next time!
Consolation during our interval came in the form of a tasty hot dhal, plus tea, biscuits and assorted other snacks. Notwithstanding this fine refreshment I guess I was still a bit moody as we began the second half, judging by my facial expression as captured by a few of the artists. I sat for 10 minutes then stood for the final 23 minutes.
We finished bang on time. Artists finished drawing their lines and spread their superb artworks across the floor for shared appreciation. Many extraordinarily accomplished creations had emerged. I was even gifted a fantastic set of drawings by shachartzin. My mood was much better on the 38-minute return walk. I’d drawn a line.
Hackney Den Drawing is a Tuesday evening life drawing group started in December last year by brilliant artist, tutor, organiser and friend Catherine Hall. Her much-loved Drawing the Star sessions have now shifted to be one day later on Wednesdays, so what better way to fill the void than by launching a new group? New… and different.
This was my first visit to the Hackney Den pub and its downstairs art space. The bar area felt chilled, comfortable and came close to luring me into drink, but I’d had a few too many at the weekend so stayed dry. I drifted down to what I imagined would be a murky spot-lit cellar, but instead found a bright clinically-clean tiled gallery space.
It seems I was unlucky to encounter it between exhibitions, otherwise there would be art aplenty. The stark purity of its unadorned monochrome decor had an appeal of its own, however. Soon the walls were lined with artists – the event was a sell-out – and we got underway: a 5 minute pose to begin, like at The Star, but then 10 minutes.
Whereas The Star’s pose lengths start at 5 minutes then dwindle all the way down to three of 30 seconds before increasing again, here they go up and up from the outset. This wasn’t the only difference; the best news is that Catherine is once more offering feedback, tips and informal tuition to the artists. My next pose: 20 minutes seated.
Not since the days of posing for Catherine’s groups at The Russet café (2015-2016), and before that the A-side B-side Gallery (2014-2015), have I had the opportunity to eavesdrop while she gives artistic advice and guidance. With perception, experience, knowledge, clarity and enthusiasm, she’s a natural – I’m so glad she’s doing it again.
After a short break for refreshments, we completed this session with two more poses of 20 minutes each. For the first I stood with left leg a pace forward and arms out low on each side; for the last I sat upright with knees crooked on the floor, leaning slightly forward over my right thigh. Proven postures, both composed and sustainable.
One tradition happily carried over from The Star is that of artists being encouraged to lay their drawings on the floor for mutual appreciation at the end of the evening. Such wonders to behold! From the strong to the stylish to the simple joy of mark-making. It was a pleasure to be here. Sorry I couldn’t stay longer for post-art socialising!
Quick poses to begin: three of 1-minute, which I timed for the class by counting in my head “30, 30, 29, 29, 28, 28…“, then 5 and 10 minutes timed by tutor Victoria Rance shrewdly using a clock. One long pose would follow. Arriving at The Conservatoire, I had agreed to stand for the long pose so I sat for the 5 and 10 minutes. I think I must have sat well, however, as the plan was changed and I sat for the long pose too.
We started the long pose a few minutes before 8pm and would be staying with it until 10pm. I’d been offered stretch breaks every 20 minutes but declined the first two and instead went through till close to 9pm before taking time-out. I’d taken care with each angled limb, twisted muscle and supporting pressure point, to ensure the pose would be as ache-free and sustainable for as long as possible.
I’ve probably said before but it’s worth saying again: on a long pose, make the period before the first break last as long as possible. The reason? We relax when creating a new pose, but we must tense our muscles to recreate it – it’s not possible to relax the same way twice. I had one more arm-stretch before the session reached its end. And then: the artworks… such wonderful drawings! A particularly rewarding session.
steve ritter 