Chapter 3
Although I did think that it might be an interesting experience to actually sit for an artist, it was a couple of weeks before I saw an opening coming up, on a Sunday. Of course not knowing whether she worked on such days, I was a little hesitant to make the call she'd suggested, but in the end did so, and Annabel immediately allayed my concern by her remarkably enthusiastic acceptance of such timing.
'Oh that's good Phillip, I have been thinking about drawing, and maybe even painting you - and Sunday will be an excellent time to start!'
So, after arranging a time a little after mid-day, and having first had a light lunch, the Sunday found me setting off for Annabel's studio.
Her greeting was equally enthusiastic as her voice had been on the telephone. 'Come in! Please come in and make yourself as much at home as it's possible to do in a studio Phillip!' she said, taking my hand and almost tugging me after her as we threaded our way through a much more cluttered space than I'd seen at my previous visit. There were various easels set up, each with a partially finished painting, a few tables and benches; each with an assortment of pots, filled with brushes, partially squeezed tubes of different kinds of colouring materials; palettes smeared with rainbows of colours, and of course paint smeared rags of every kind of material. And those were scattered through just that section of the studio that she used for her paintings - off at the far end I could see and even greater complexity of materials that were obviously used in her sculptures and pottery making.
But, in an area directly below one of the overhead sky-lights, a large space had been cleared, on one side of which stood a surprisingly comfortable looking, straight-backed arm-chair, and nearby, another less formal looking chair, a table, on which lay a large sketch pad, an assortment of pencils, and what looked like sticks of charcoal, plus other drawing paraphernalia.
'Now before we start Phillip, I should warn you that this session - much of which I will use just to sketch you - is usually very much longer than those that will need to follow. Of course we'll take a break from time to time, but if you can be patient with me, just relax and allow me as much time as you are able to, I'll be most grateful - and the finished painting will be all the better for it. This early process is one that hopefully will allow me to see into the person behind the outward appearance - and that usually leads to a very much stronger finished work.'
'How do you usually cope with doing nothing in particular?' she asked a moment or two later.
'Oh, reasonably well I think. I can usually allow myself to drift off and think about other things. That is when I get the chance to, which in this busy world seems to be ever more difficult.'
She smiled and nodded her understanding. 'That's one great advantage of being an artist, most people seem to understand that we need peaceful isolation to get on with our work. Many's the time I leave the answering machine to take care of the phone, even if I don't happen to be working - and people never seem to get too upset about that.' she added with an almost conspiratorial grin.
'So, let's get you seated comfortably - and would you like me to play some music?'
'Only if it will not disturb you Annabel.'
'Oh no, I usually have something playing in the back-ground. So what kind of music do you like? I have a pretty wide variety here.'
'I think I have a pretty eclectic taste - though I suppose the romantic classics would be my preference in this kind of situation. The last thing you need is for me to be bobbing up and down to some funky beat.'
'OK, the classics it is - now you sit yourself down there - but first, would you take your jacket off please.'
While Annabel sorted out a few CDs I dispensed with my jacket and settled myself down in the chair, watching her generously proportioned body moving about with remarkable lightness and agility.
She was wearing what were clearly her work-clothes; a loose-fitting top and skirt made from what had originally been a light grey, and light-weight jersey-like fabric, that was now decorated with numerous daubs and splotches of various coloured patches of long-dried paint. The top was scoop-necked and raglan-sleeved - a style that obviously provided her with the freedom of movement that she would need when painting. But by contrast, the skirt seemed voluminous; just on knee-length, and the way its many folds swirled about when she made the slightest of movements, seemed to be perpetually threatening to knock something over.
Having moved me into a pose she wanted, she settled down to draw, and I let my mind wander off with the accompanying music - at first simply revelling in the opportunity the situation gave me to think of nothing in particular.
But then, as we men are prone to do, some time later I found myself - at first quite involuntarily - recalling some of the events of the previous night. A night when the woman I had been seeing on and off for several months, demonstrated a totally new aspect of herself.
Previously, although always eagerly compliant, she had left the progress of our love-making very much up to me - but whether because she finally felt sufficiently confident of me, or simply because her hormones were raging more strongly than usual, her actions on the previous night had been totally different, that time it was she that had totally taken over. Even to the point that, at one stage - when I had tried just a little more firmly to move her to a new position - she had not only resisted, but firmly told me to just lie back and enjoy what she was going to do with me.
And, as I couldn't recall ever being fucked for as long, as efficiently, and definitely not as vigorously, as she then fucked me, I found myself in no position to do anything other than exactly what she told me to.
Now I'm not sure just how long I spent in the reverie brought on by memories of that and then all the other things we eventually did together, but it must have been quite a long time, because it was only the sound of Annabel's voice that brought me back to reality.
'I guess you're ready for a coffee by now Phillip. And I'm surprised at how good a sitter you're proving to be - you've hardly moved for over half an hour now.'