"Midnight Drawing" - 9 June

This was an event organised by a group of models who call themselves "Artists, Models, iNK". It took place at the Sussex County Arts Club in Brighton starting at 10.00pm and finishing at 1.00am and consisted of a group pose for three hours by the six models during which every half an hour one of them would do a series of short poses in case anybody wanted a quick drawing as well as for the model to have a bit of a break. There was a break for nibbles and a drink (absinthe being one on offer) kindly provided by the models at 12.00 before the final hour of painting/drawing. In addition to all this they had provided an interesting background as a setting for the pose of white and black satin - I decided to try and get all the models and the background painted in over the three hour period, somewhat ambitious as it turned out! 

       My underlying intention in all of these figure paintings that I am currently doing is that I want to produce a painting in as finished a state as I can manage in the time allowed of the figure and background together. In other words a painting with a figure in it as opposed to just a painting of a figure....do you see what I mean? Anyway as usual I spent a good part of the time getting in the setting of the contrasting black and white satin lit from the side by a blue light (I wish I had not painted in the lamp!) before proceeding with the figures. Needless to say I ran out of time with only the figure of Kate Shields being brought to any recognisable conclusion. I am learning from these sessions that I need to start thinking about paring down the elements that I am painting and just paint the ones that need to be there for the painting to work. Thank you Kate, Emma, Frankie, Johanna, Anna and Lucy!

Five of the models