briony started working as a life model in may 2008, while she was living in cyprus. she returned to the uk a few months later, and made the decision that this was what she wanted to do.
since then she has worked very hard to achieve this, and what started off as modelling for one group, one evening a week, is now an almost-full-time job.
but i hadn't really thought about what i would do during the summer; universities, colleges and schools are closed, and a lot of the other groups and classes i model for also take quite a long summer break.
so briony decided to organise - and model at - her own life drawing days.
most of the sessions i model for are only two or three hours long and, as i work in so many different places, there's a lot of travelling involved in getting from one group to another. working in the same place for a whole day would mean less travelling for me, and provide more time for artists to really "get stuck in".
lots of the artists i spoke to seemed really enthusiastic about the idea. some said that they really miss life drawing during the summer, that they get "rusty" and out of practice; others felt that an all-day session would be a great opportunity for them to produce more in-depth work.
i also spoke to quite a few tutors who said that they never get chance to do any life drawing themselves, as they are so busy teaching other people.
briony's original plan had been to arrange maybe two or three sessions but, as she discussed her ideas with the groups she models for, she realised that there was far more interest in summer life than she had originally anticipated.
with a background in arranging large corporate events, she felt confident about organising a number of sessions in different places.
she wanted to find venues linked with the arts, especially with local arts and crafts, and was also very keen to support community venues.
for a couple of months, i spent most of my non-working time contacting and visiting venues. some weren't too keen on hosting "that sort of thing", and some just weren't what i had in mind. i suppose i was quite picky; so many of the spaces i work in are dull and uninspiring, and i wanted to find somewhere a bit different to the usual classrooms and church halls.
i looked for venues that i thought were interesting or unusual, and perhaps somewhere that people wouldn't have been to before. something else that was really important to me was that the spaces should have good natural light. and above all, i wanted them to feel "right" - but that's pretty difficult to put into words!
i think that i have chosen quite a diverse range of spaces, all unique in their own way, and i hope that people will be able to see why i picked them.
briony wants to create an atmosphere in which artists will feel comfortable and relaxed.
i do very much enjoy my work in educational settings, but my favourite sessions are those where there isn't a set objective - where artists can "do their own thing" - and i want summer life to run in a similar way.
briony will start each of the days with a few quick poses, getting longer throughout the morning, followed by one long pose in the afternoon.
i enjoy being able to choose my own poses, which i am told are always interesting and challenging.
during lunch breaks, there will also be the opportunity to have a wander around and explore what else the venues have to offer.
when i've modelled at all-day sessions before, people just sat around a table with their sandwiches at lunchtime. i didn't want that.
briony hopes that you will be able to come to one of her summer life days.
it would be great to see some familiar faces, and also to meet new people.
i am really looking forward to it, and i hope that it's going to be a success.
i love what i do. hopefully, you will too.
