My full-time job came to an end on December 31 (the details of my lay-off can be found here). I've kept busy with other things the past couple of weeks, but I am happy that the new semester is starting up. I had two modeling gigs today, after almost a month without any. The session this morning was at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, but only one artist showed up. We had a dusting of sleet and snow overnight here in Fort Worth, and I surmise that the weather kept the other attendees away. People around here don't know how to drive in winter weather, so it doesn't take much to bring things to a standstill.
The lady who did come to draw arrived twenty minutes late. When she walked into the room, I was sitting on the model platform in my robe reading a copy of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham. (I read a lot of Presidential biographies.) She suggested that I continue reading while she drew. I had never read while in a pose. I did a couple of double-model classes a year or two ago at Texas Woman's University, and the other model on the platform with me would read her book during the longer poses. I didn't say anything to anybody because I like to allow the instructor to be in charge of everything, but reading during a pose just seemed to be disrespectful to the students. How could the artists draw that model's hands when she was regularly moving them to turn the pages of her book? I guess I take the view that I'm not going to do my personal reading when I'm getting paid to model for a class.
But today, the only attendee at the morning session was insistent that I read while she drew, so I did. I read about 70 pages during the two hours that she drew me.
The afternoon session was at the Texas Academy of Figurative Art. I did a three hour long standing pose. A lot of models don't like standing poses, but I don't mind them. At least one of my feet usually goes to sleep during seated poses, but I don't have that problem when standing. The students' drawings were, as usual at TAFA, outstanding. I'll be at TAFA every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for the next few weeks, and I'm looking forward to seeing more amazing drawings of myself.
That was a very interesting request! I'll admit that when I do gestures or five minute poses, sometimes I'll grab a copy of the newspaper and make it look like I'm reading it. But all I ever do is just stare at an advertisement so that my head's still until the timer goes off. If someone asked me to do that, I'd be too afraid I'd be making unwanted facial gestures as I was reading along!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I don't care for standing poses, at least those that last longer than 15 minutes. Unlike you, I find that sometimes my feet do go to sleep, and I have to be *very* careful as I get out of pose and go to shut off my timer. I've actually fallen down once or twice, just because my leg went to sleep on me and when I got out of my pose, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under me.
Hope you're enjoying your gigs at TAFA--I've only just started lining up work for the coming months, so I'm happy you've got something steady going on :)
Hmmm. My legs get tired, and if I have my weight on one leg, my knee might get sore. But I've never had a leg or foot go to sleep in a standing pose. It happens all the time in seated poses. It's hard to find a seated position that doesn't cut off at least part of the circulation to an extremity or two.
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding gigs this semester. I'm taking full advantage of my unemployed state. In fact, I have three classes scheduled tomorrow. When I do actually find a new full time job, I am going to be both relieved and disappointed. I only wish someone would pay me 60 grand a year to model full time. Heck, I would do it for 40 grand a year, and I would find some other way to make up the other 20...