After having enquired about TART, I found myself on the mailing list for 40 Winks and was delighted to discover that they host other equally gorgeous events, one of which is a life drawing evening with the fabulous ladies from Kink Ink. Described in the initial email as "a fusion of life drawing class and theatrical performance", the lure of a beautiful location and some Hendrick’s gin cocktails was enough to tempt me into enquiring about tickets. Miss Severina painted the following picture of what to expect:
"In various rooms around 40 Winks, a series of tantalising tableaux vivants are enacted against a special soundscape commissioned from the celebrated composer Daniel Pemberton. Guests are provided with sketching materials and sent off on an intoxicating journey to capture these frozen moments with pen and paper.
"Taking their inspiration from the hauntingly seductive interiors of 40 Winks, each Kink Ink model conjures up the memories of an imagined inhabitant of the house with themes ranging from an amorous 18th century aristocrat awaiting her latest lover to an Anais Nin-esque opium dreamer. Each night is entirely unique."
This seemed too good to miss, so I rounded up a couple of artistic friends and we signed up. I haven’t done any life drawing since I left university in 1997 so I was excited and terrified in equal measures. This seemed like a good place to begin again though. On the night, we were greeted at the door by the debonair Mr Carter in his top hat and, thankfully, were not put on his naughty list so were allowed in.
Once inside, we removed our shoes and padded around the place in slippers, marvelling at the beautiful decor and the pretty little touches, like door keys with gigantic tassels on them and necklaces hanging from the wall-lights in the bathroom. After sipping some gin from pretty teacups and mingling with the other guests, we were all given pencils and paper and told to head to one of three locations around the house to begin drawing. We started off in the music room.
I perched on a window seat and stared at the corseted and feather-draped Julie, perched on a stool looking elegant and regal. I stared at her and then stared at the blank page before me. How on earth did I do this years ago? After what felt like an age, I finally put my pencil on the paper and attempted to begin making marks. It was tricky, but something was emerging and it didn't look a million miles away from what I could see. Not quite close enough for my liking though!
After 25 minutes, we were moved into the garden where Maria was waiting with her roller skates and headphones. I stared in awe but, being one of the last outside, couldn't find anywhere to sit so headed back indoors to perch on the stairs and gaze from afar. Drawing number two did not go terribly well, but Mr Carter kindly reminded me that getting a perfect likeness was not all that the evening was about.
For our final drawing of the evening, we headed upstairs again to find Cecilia draped across a sofa in the parlour wearing pretty little cat ears and holding a cane. I started to draw but, with no access to an eraser this time, I swiftly became frustrated with my inability to translate our wonderful cat woman's curves onto the page. However, once the last pose was done, we all headed back to the kitchen for more gin and any minor frustrations were swiftly forgotten.
The friendly welcoming atmosphere and unusual setting make this an amazing alternative to a standard life drawing class. Although you could submit any of your drawings in the hope of winning a prize, it wasn’t essential and so no embarrassment needs to be suffered if you don’t end up with a major work of art by the end of the night. The low lighting conditions are perhaps not ideal for drawing, but you can adapt when you know what to expect.
My tips for any keen artists would be to take your own pens / pencils and make sure you rush and grab a good spot! Overall, it is most definitely worth the £25 ticket price and I think I shall be going again. Contact reservations AT 40winks DOT org for details of the next event.
Image by Boris Conte.