The Egon Schiele themed workshop run by London Drawing Group at Lewisham Arthouse on 7 October proved such a success – with demand for tickets surpassing availability – that a second session was organised two months later. Lucy McGeown would be facilitating again, and I would once more be the model.
11°C – that’s what a thermometer on the wall said when I arrived early at the Arthouse life drawing room. Two heaters high up on opposite walls were glowing red, but did not seem to emanating heat with any great urgency. Never mind; hot-blooded artists were starting to arrive and the first set of poses would surely get us all warmed-up.
1-minute and 3-minute poses
Before any drawing commenced, Lucy held a succinct yet comprehensive talk on the life and works of Schiele. Examples of his art were taped the length of one wall, and I used several of these as inspiration when we began with short poses: ten of 1-minute and four of 3-minutes.
7-minute pose – close-up
Each artist observed me from behind an easel and board. For our next 7-minute pose, Lucy suggested they come forward and sit around me on the floor to draw an extreme anatomical close-up. I provided a full body pose for consideration, yet everyone chose to zoom-in on my face or head. Curious!
7-minute pose – three rotations
The next three drawings all captured the same pose, rotated one hundred and twenty degrees after each change. Pose lengths would once more be 7-minutes, so we were still working rapidly with loose lines. I continued to offer angles with my limbs, inviting artists to render them in the Schiele style – many accepted the invitation.
20-minute pose
There was time for a single 20-minute pose before lunch so I set myself in a standing position, with one hand cupping my chin and the other arm wrapped around my hand, as in Schiele’s 1914 ‘Standing Male Nude with a Red Loincloth‘. Before dressing to pop out for food, I checked the thermometer again; it had soared to 14°C.
1-minute poses
Upon our return, we warmed-up again with four swift 1-minute poses. The first was to be drawn blind – that’s looking only at me, never at the paper – then the second was OK to look at the paper, the third was once more blind, the fourth another looker. My glasses were on the floor beside me, so personally I couldn’t look at anything.
20-minute poses
Three longer poses would conclude our workshop exercises – with Lucy encouraging artists to experiment more with colour. The first two poses would be 20-minutes each. To begin, I shaped myself into a low, limb-tangled knot on the floor, echoing Schiele’s ‘Nude Self-Portrait, Squatting‘ from 1916.
For the next 20-minute pose I sat upright on a chair with my legs folded and one hand resting behind me so I could lean back slightly. This wasn’t an attempt to recreate the figure of any specific Schiele painting; rather I was simply exposing my ribs and limbs in a way not hitherto manifested.
“Wistful” sketch by Lucy McGeown.
40-minute pose
My final pose was to last 40-minutes. It would be my first one of the day in a reclining attitude with a typical life model torso twist and, to maintain some Schiele inspiration, hands in the style of his ‘Mime van Osen‘ (1910). In the previous two poses my eyes had flickered briefly as if to sleep, but now – with eyes closed – I remained alert.
It had been fun! At lunch time, Lucy popped home and fetched another fan heater, so while the room only crept up to 17°C, at least I personally achieved a modest level of toastiness. Artists shared their works for general admiration and my phone’s camera feasted greedily. It had been another fine London Drawing Group workshop.
It was time again for Hesketh Hubbard Art Society Christmas party, and once more Esther and I were honoured with a booking to model. As in previous years, we would manifest two 30-minute poses for the first half of the evening, after which the second half would be given over to feasting, drinking, socialising and general merriment. We began seated in a gentle embrace.
Artwork by Anthony Roe.
Artwork by Anthony Roe.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
In our second pose, Esther reclined – as was only fair for someone who had endured a long sleepless night before – whilst I sat upright alongside and leaned over her. The lure of an arty party ensured Mall Galleries was packed with more society members than I could remember seeing all year. This made for both a buoyant atmosphere and a tremendously long queue when it was feeding time.
Artwork by Anthony Roe.
Artwork by Simon Whittle.
Many of the society’s regular life models had accepted an invitation to join the revelry. I smile to think that I too could have simply enjoyed the party without having to work beforehand, but the sentimental side of me still considers this booking a privilege not to be taken for granted. I’m certain it wouldn’t have come my way were I not half of a modelling couple, but it means a lot to me nonetheless.
Esther, me, Tatiana, Dani, Simon (Hesketh Hubbard Art Society president) and Tanja.
Posing did not stop when we put our clothes back on. Our friend Tanja Hassel – this evening’s long-pose model and a very good artist in her own right – had brought along a case of her artistically crafted cushions, which were crying out for a promotional photo shoot. Several of us mustered for the task, and several more took photos of our curious spectacle. The smiles tell our story; a good time was had by all.
When Esther was invited to stage one of her Spirited Bodies events at The Doodle Bar in Bermondsey, it was an opportunity to present something new. Multi-model life drawing would meet current affairs in Have I Got Nudes for You. Esther herself was to be modelling, alongside me, Lucy (former Spirited Bodies organiser), and Rodger, our friend who made his Spirited Bodies debut in 2012 at the same event as me.
There were early setbacks – Rodger dropped out sick the day before, Lucy had a bad night, I had been nursing a cold all week and the venue lacked sufficient heating – but we were keen nonetheless! In a far corner the public bar, shielded from view only by a folded table tennis table, we created 15 poses to represent news stories from the past year. When we needed more bodies, volunteers amongst our artists gladly joined in.
Pose I – 2 minutes
We ranged from major global headlines to quirky little footnotes and our intention was that artists could try guessing the story while sketching us. For an opening warm-up I stood straight-backed shaking hands with Esther while she descended painfully (very painfully) low in cringing deference. Lucy offered clues as the clock ticked down…
Pose II – 5 minutes
Our second pose was symbolic rather than literal, yet still one of the more wearyingly familiar stories to recognise. Esther and I pulled from opposite ends of a tangled rope; me planted firmly with an EU flag, Esther huffing and puffing with her UK flag, but not really making any progress…
The shambles of Brexit, throughout 2018
Pose III – 5 minutes
Esther would be flying solo for the next pose. First she put on a plastic blond wig, and then wrapped a sheet around her bottom like a vast nappy, fastening it with a gigantic safety pin. She stretched out on her blue sheet like a big baby floating across the sky, filled with nothing but hot air…
Pose IV – 5 minutes
Another dynamic two-person pose for me and Esther. I was maintaining a firm grip on the object into which I speaking, while Esther tried to grab it from me. At no time was I guilty of placing my hands on her as she tried to do her job – that was just trumped up fake news…
Pose V – 5 minutes
Our friend Adrian undressed and stepped up to participate in the next item. It focused on two men standing beside a line that divided the pose space. To begin with we were on opposite sides of the line but I welcomed Adrian to my side, and we held hands as we turned to pose whilst taking a step back across it together…
Pose VI – 5 minutes
Next came a mellow pose for me and Esther. We each held a nice fat roll-up and took chilled-out seated positions on the floor. Obviously we wouldn’t be permitted to smoke in this joint, or even this country, but they’ve been more relaxed about it in other parts of the world since voting to legalize it…
Cannabis becomes legal in Canada, October 2018
Pose VII – 10 minutes
Two new volunteers undressed and joined us for our next pose. Esther and Lidia held up a large banner that demanded ‘Repeal the 8th‘ whilst Andy and I, wearing bishops’ mitres, lay defeated beneath their feet. Lidia delivered an impassioned speech on the significance of this news story – both for the country in question and for all women…
Ireland votes to legalise abortion, May 2018
Pose VIII – 5 minutes
Meanwhile in the sports news: a football was placed on the floor and I collapsed down beside it, screaming in agony and holding my shin, though nobody was near me. One big international tournament dominated this summer; it went well for the English, even better for the French – but a certain name, ah, played a less than impressive roll…
Pose IX – 5 minutes
This pose was another symbolic one so recognition was trickier. I stood in the manner of the traditional sign for a male toilet. Esther then set her female body directly in front of me, but making only half the same sign, so together we were neither fully Steve nor fully Esther. We then consulted the artists on what they thought of this Act…
Pose X – 15 minutes
Over the years, great art has often been an inspiration for Spirited Bodies multi-model tableaux. The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault had been reimagined for many events, but in recent times its image has become more poignant as thousands attempt desperate sea crossings in tiny craft. Adrian and Andy returned to pose…
Pose XI – 5 minutes
After a half-hour break for food, Esther resumed with a short warm-up pose – our area still lacked the warmth we were promised for this, the first day of December. Her pose was that of a small girl holding a red love-heart balloon, while her legs were paper that had been half cut to ribbons. An extra clue was drawn on the paper itself…
Postcard in this photo: Madonna & Child by Lidia Lidia © 2018.
Pose XII – 10 minutes
A giveaway for this anniversary pose was a large banner declaring ‘Votes for Women‘. Several women in the room stepped forward to take part in this one, but a lack of heat meant only Lucy had the courage to pose nude alongside Esther; Lidia, Judit, Daniela and Paula all kept their clothes on – possibly a first time ever for Paula!
Pose XIII – 20 minutes
Our next pose was one for the boys. Esther joined in too as we didn’t have enough for a full team. Andy, Peter, me, Esther, John and Adrian, all huddled together, crouching low down as if trapped in a cramped place, no room to play, just waiting. This was the longest of our afternoon’s poses…
Pose XIV – 10 minutes
Sometimes Spirited Bodies reflects the news, sometimes it’s in the news. In 2018, it helped drive the news agenda. Esther and I left Andy, Peter, Adrian and John to show the world their dynamic poses – different body types, all body positive, inspiring body acceptance for a developing generation…
Pose XV – 8 minutes
The final pose of the day was reserved for perhaps the biggest news story of them all. Peter, Esther and Adrian lay down on the blue sheet, a tide of humanity amidst a sea of plastic bottles that Lucy and I scattered on and around them. It was the end of this drawing session; we can only hope it doesn’t represent the end of so much more…
How did you do?
We had great fun with this event. Not only in the modelling, but also with the planning. On sifting through the year’s news our intention had been to find stories that we could translate into good life drawing poses, whilst also injecting some laughs, commentary and topical debate. All we needed was a warmer venue! Perhaps Spirited Bodies can take the idea even further next year. I hope you enjoyed guessing 2018’s headlines.
Hindrance. I’d felt my cold coming on Monday evening, yet by Tuesday evening it was still no more than a sore throat. Come the Wednesday evening, my throat was painful and constricted but had no accompanying symptoms, so I felt all would be well for life modelling at The Prince Regent. I still had to arrive on time, however, and a brace of train delays meant I only reached the front door at the minute we were due to start.
Fortunately for me I didn’t find Lisa of SketchPad Drawing impatiently drumming her fingers; what had delayed me was evidently still delaying many of the regulars, so we would begin a few minutes late. When the time came, I opted to perch on a high seat for the opening 15-minute pose (running to 16 minutes). Quick poses followed: two of 5-minutes and one of 2-minutes.
I stood for 15-minutes next, and was all set to end the first half standing in a dramatic attitude with one hand covering my face when Lisa pointed out that some artists liked to draw portraits… so I lowered the hand, lowered myself to the floor, and instead sat with chin elevated for the 12-minutes that remained. Halfway through the session and still my cold symptoms were at bay!
I switched rooms after the interval and finished my work with one 45-minute long pose, sitting on furniture draped with sheets and my chunky sweater. Still my cold remained within, to be joined insidiously by the cold of night that crept past the shield of heaters and through my skin. We compensated for our late start by over-running a little, but I’d lost track of time anyway. I was glad to move again, glad to get warm, glad to be here.
The room was warm and in time filled with artists to near-capacity. Conditions outside were damp, but my journey had been quick and I always feel comfortable here at The Workshop in Hoxton. We started with a 10-minutes pose, three of 5-minutes and two of 3-minutes…
I rotated through a sequence of tense, angular, dynamic stances, always making sure my chosen pose would take me to the edge of discomfort within its allocated time but never beyond. My experienced body was doing exactly as it should, yet my inner light felt a little dull tonight. I wondered if artists would notice. We can’t always radiate.
Two poses of 15-minutes took us to a half-hour break, during which a fine selection of breads and dips were laid out for a complimentary feast – this was an Adrian Dutton London Life Drawing group, after all. I partook of some bread, tea and two Bourbon biscuits before completing the session with two poses of 30-minutes.
I began the second half perched on a low stool then set to pondering whether I should stand or lay down for the last 30-minute pose. Both options seemed unsatisfactory for one reason or another so, as my main concern was being fair to artists on all sides of the room, I ended up staying on the stool but turned 180°, slightly shifting posture.
When all was done, I photographed the drawings – good work again here – put on my clothes, and readied to depart. On my way out, I was complimented on the hard work I put into my poses. Maybe a lack of core strength simply makes them look hard, but it’s nice that the effort is noticed. Inside each static life model is a human struggling.
Temperatures outside in the drizzle were of the single digit variety. Inside the art room at The Conservatoire, a thermometer on the wall showed 17°C but I wasn’t feeling it. The chill of my journey had permeated bone and muscle, so I remained clothed for as long as possible. Even by the second of our opening three 1-minute warm-up poses, I was still tight with cold and duly got a hideous cramp in my left calf. For the 5-minute standing pose that followed, I shaped myself like a man shivering…
It was no fault of the venue. I had a heater to the left of me, a heater to the right of me, and a heater in front of me, yet against my stern inner chill the hot air seemed nought but a tepid breeze. I forged one final dynamic 10-minute “warm-up”, then settled down onto a mound of foam and cushions for what would be this evening’s long pose. I took time fidgeting into a comfy position but failed to find a natural home for my left arm so it defaulted into a raised hook dangling above my head.
I assumed the arm would go dead at some point but surprisingly it retained sensation. Its only negative contribution was as a weight upon my head, which then compressed a muscle in my neck, but not intolerably. My main challenge was recalling how to get back into pose after each stretch break – contorting my body among scraps of sticky tape that marked my previous extremities. Somehow it was accomplished. Come the end I dressed quickly, admired the art, then quit once more into the freezing night.
Evidently the room used for life drawing at the Garrett Centre had received a modest makeover since I was last there in June. Most notably the carpet had gone and been replaced with a hard surface. It worried me slightly as, purely at a psychological level, the impression was of a starkly colder space. I needn’t have been concerned, though, as a hefty gym mat, a cushion, my sheet and two heaters kept me very cosy.
Another difference for this long pose session is that I would be modelling in the round rather than with my back to a wall. The circle of chairs filled to capacity in time for us to begin with four shortish warm-up poses: three of 5-minutes and one of 8-minutes. I made sure that for all of these I was facing the side of the room that was fated to see mostly my back for the remainder of the evening.
I settled down to the main pose with around 40-minutes of the first half still remaining, and felt sufficiently comfortable to decline the offer of a stretch break at the 20-minute mark. During the interval, I partook of the finest all-included food selection to be found anywhere on the London life art scene: delicious hot garlic bread and pizza, assorted nibbles, biscuits, teas, wine and jelly babies – classic Adrian Dutton life drawing.
The second half lasted a bit over an hour so, after resuming in the same position, I did feel more inclined to accept the offers to stretch; but only twice. Mainly I concentrated on shaking out my left wrist, which was bent back just enough to become increasingly achy. That one minor irritation aside, this was a pleasant session made more pleasing by the high quality of inspired works revealed at the end.
steve ritter 
