I was on my way home when I saw the advertisement in the window of the newsagents on Bridge Street, it read;
Local artist requires male model, must be of average height and build and between 30-40 years. Contact Anna on (01222) 1909 1222 β NO TIMEWASTERS PLEASE.
Being an artists model was something that I had long fantasised about but had always assumed that one had to be slim and of an athletic build, so to see that there was an artist in the area that required an averagely sized model was too good an opportunity to pass up. I eagerly jotted down the name and number and walked as briskly as I could back to my car in order to ring her as soon as I could.
My hands were shaking as I dialled the number, to my surprise it was answered on only the second ring.
"Hello" said the voice at the other end of the line.
"Oh! hi, um... my name is Martin, I saw your ad in the window of Bridge Street News, I understand you are looking for a male model" I said nervously but trying my best not to do so.
"Yes, that's right, I've already seen a few men but I haven't made a decision on which one to use yet so if you'd like to come and see me at my studio I'd be happy to give you the once-over" she said.
"Ok, when would be good for you?" I asked.
"How about tomorrow afternoon?" she said.
"Um... fine, is it ok to come around some time after 4:30?" I said, that meant I could go there on my way home from work.
"Ok, sounds fine to me, I'd better give you my address..." she replied.
I made a note of the address of Anna's studio and headed for home, my head spinning.
The next day I had trouble concentrating at work and I watched on impatiently as the clock on the wall of my office gradually came around to 4:15, it was the longest day I had ever known. I was filled with a mix of excitement, nervousness and maybe even a hint of fear. But eventually the time came to leave the office and make my way over to Anna's studio for what felt like a date with destiny.
Anna's studio was in a small village few miles south of where I worked, as I pulled up outside the address she had given me on the outskirts of the village I hoped that I was brave enough to go through with it and not bottle out at the last minute. I took a deep breath, got out of the car, walked to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"Ah, you must be Martin, please come in" said Anna, she looked like the typical arty type; mid-fifties, greying hair and she wore a long chain of brightly coloured beads around her neck.
We sat down in her living room where she conducted a short interview of sorts.
"Have you done any modelling before Martin?" she asked.
"No, never, but it's something I've often considered doing for quite some time although I never thought I'd get the opportunity seeing as I'm not exactly athletically built" I replied as honestly as I could.
"Well, in this case I definitely don't want someone who is athletically built!" chuckled Anna, "What I am after is a specimen of a more average man, one who is maybe a little overweight but without being obese, I want to show that an average man is actually just as beautiful as the idealised image portrayed in western media" she continued, "I will be using both male and female models to complete a body of work examining the relationship between men and women, both with each other and on their own and how they can possess an innate beauty which is all too overlooked by a perception that beauty can only be achieved by unnatural means such as excessive dieting, constantly working out at the gym or even by resorting to surgical enhancement".
"It all sounds like an interesting concept" I said in reply.
"An ambitious one too I might add, I haven't decided how many works I shall create for this collection but I shall be requiring to use the same model for at least the next five years or so" Anna said, "so if I decide to employ you we shall be getting to know each other pretty well!"
"Just out of interest, what exactly is the going rate for modelling sessions? Will I be paid per session or do I get a percentage of the sale of the completed painting?" I asked.
"Well basically, I tend to pay my models Β£20 per session, with each session lasting about two hours and then a cut of 15% of the sale price after that, which I hope you should find fairly reasonable for your services" she said, "I should like to point out however that I shall be requiring you to pose in the nude, I hope you don't have a problem with that".