Not only did slotting in a session with some of our best Artists get me out of bed before 9 o'clock on a Sunday morning, but they struck that slithery balance of fun and relaxing on the official day of rest.
I've been to the Arches Studios once before, last Summer, so I didn't get lost, which would be perfectly understandable when looking for the place the Artists of Southampton hang out. Spoiler alert, they're under a bridge in the city center, opposite the other cultural and creative hub that is the SoCo Music Project. You do have to peep over the wall, but beneath you'll quickly spot the colourful doors outside and figure there must be something special behind them.
If you're wondering how I got to be a portrait model, I wasn't hand-picked, so don't even start thinking of all the reasons you can't do it too. The podcast certainly helps people to place me, even if they don't recognise me straight away or know my name, but it certainly doesn't get, nor do I advocate for special 'painty' privileges. I did strike up a little deal when Marieta, one of the artists, to acquire one of the pieces instead of being paid for the 4-hour sitting. Doing something like this was definitely on my Pinterest vision board somewhere, so you better believe I wasn't scared to ask to keep a painting instead—barter economy here I come!
The session was basically built up by lots of 25-minute sittings followed by 5-minute breaks/shake-offs. The camel-coloured wing-back armchair in Stewart Beckett's little nook is perfectly staged to get comfy, and comfy I was, lounged back in a little recline so I could keep still for the longest I probably have for quite a while...without a phone or talking I mean. The first round I just felt so elated. I'm pretty sure I've had something like this on my bucket list for a while, and if it wasn't there, it was definitely in my unofficial and subconscious one!
This is going to sound super weird but it kind of felt like I'd died. Obviously I didn't actually stop breathing, but being part of all this creative juju while simultaneously being the reflector, or subject of it, was very out of body. I found my myself almost meditating at first, then my mind went on a non-physical wander; thinking about what the paintings might depict, what the artists would see in me. Aygen, another one of the artists, arrived a little later and that got my mind even more curious. I'd never met her before, so we started to ponder on how that would change the experience of depicting me. I don't know any of the artists super well, but walking into a session when somebody you don't know is unusually quiet and still means you can't really 'draw out' any personality. This is one of the things that did pass through once I'd decided there was too much piquing my interest to be listening to a podcast in my ear—"I wonder if they'll see my light". It was all getting very spiritual inside my inanimate vessel!
I purposely didn't look at the work in progress as I nipped out to the loo in the other studio block. There was something about not injecting my self, or ego into the process. I didn't want to look at what they saw when they looked at me, and somehow change what I was doing in the moment, and them react to that, and feel like they needed to change what they were doing...if that makes sense.
Have you sat still for 4 hours, like ever? It's not exactly the usual Sunday activity, so no surprise you'd find me doing exactly that!
Nearer the last of the 25-minute blocks I started to notice much more sound to this thing that until then had been pretty much perceivable only in my peripheral vision. The odd burst of spontaneous conversation, or actually verbal self reflection or criticism would be more accurate. I started to be able to hear the change in the way the artist composed their tool, whether it was a pencil closer to me, or a brushstroke slightly deeper in the space. The background piano music also really helped me to concentrate on keeping still, because there were definitely things going on while everyone settled into the first round that made me want to respond as usual, to smile, or to laugh.
Fancy giving it a go yourself?
You can reach out to Marieta Sotirova, or get in touch through the Arches Studios Instagram. It's totally free to take part in the portrait sessions (because they're practice for the artists), and they may be able to pay for your time, but don't quote me on that!
Never been to the Arches Studios?
Here's a sneak peek from my trip to their Open Studios in the summer of 2024. Unfortunately this event won't be happening again (in this way) for two years due to works nearby, so I'm glad I made it last year!
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