Summer Newsletter 2018
Content by Kenneth Fahy:

One thing: in my Spring Newsletter, I mentioned the excellent online "North West Arts Newsletter" all about the art scene in this part of the world. Please be aware that the source of this publication has now changed to lilykarenart@gmail.com. It's all about exhibitions, classes, events and all kinds of useful contacts - useful for life models, and highly recommended!

With the lovely summer weather comes more bookings for Bill Garland's "Bespoke Boys in the Buff" ,as it's the season for hen and stag parties. it seems a fairly recent phenomenon for these to feature life drawing tuition complete with a tutor, but we're delighted because it helps to promote the cause of nudity in art. We're getting almost one a week: the last one was the celebration of a same sex marriage of two guys in Horwich, Sam and Gary. Two lovely models (George Clarke and myself) were provided, with Bill giving explanation on foreshortening, perspective, and so on. Before putting pencil to paper, the guests were encouraged by Bill to feel the texture of both our naked bodies. This would never be allowed in the average life class, but Bill sees it as giving an emotional connection between the artist and the physiognomy of the body being sketched. The session lasted two and a half hours, and everyone thought it was powerful, unusual, something different and fantastic. At the happy couple's request - they were both there- the three poses set by Bill were inspired by the erotic sculptures in the Virupaksha Temple in Karnataka, India. He thought them highly appropriate for the event -see the internet to get an idea of the sensuality of the poses! To get into the spirit of the occasion and to enhance the intimacy, both George and I were completely oiled. I was really pleased to learn that a good number of the guests were so taken with the event that they intended to sign up for regular life classes, particularly Bill's, together with other recommendations I gave them.

And here's another example of Bill's ingenuity in promoting nude life drawing. You'll probably have seen in the paper a month or so ago a story about a care home near Bournemouth which entertained its residents by inviting in a couple of female pole dancers for a performance. Inevitably, there was po-faced criticism from some local politicians who said how terrible this was; but I wonder how they would react to what Bill has set up for a care home on the Northwich Road out of Frodsham, West Cheshire? Weekly life drawing classes with a naked model, no less! This happened because one of the residents used to be a skilled amateur artist, and put the idea to the care home manager, who thought it was a great idea, as did most of the other people in the home. A nice change from playing bridge, and a demonstration that creativity has no age barrier! That artist is a friend of Bill, and as I live not far away in Runcorn, I've been appointed the "model in residence"!

It's only a small step from posing naked for life classes to getting involved in naked amateur dramatics. Bill has hired me out to a group of thespians based in Widnes who specialise in Murder Mystery events among other things. They call themselves "Macabre mayhem and Murder: Found Naked and Dead", on the theory that most murder victims are nude. Their repertoire includes themes entitled "Slaughter in the Sauna", "Carry on Killing", "Stripped, slain and Severed", "50 shades of slaughter" and so forth- you get the idea. My role is to be the murdered victim: they've chosen me because they say I've got a victim's face and body ideal for the part. They also say my back view can be taken for either gender, something of which I'm quite proud of, actually. We perform for weekend house parties, private clubs, naturist venues, adult themed hotels, and the last one we did was for another care home (not the one near Frodsham.) There, I played the part of a character strangled by his lover in a fit of jealousy. I've enclosed a picture of me showing the murder scene, and the state in which I was found. I remember Eric, the guy playing the part of the Forensic Expert whose job was to examine me inserting a thermometer into my bare bum to determine the temperature of my body, and hence the time of death. The witnesses, again the residents, who gathered round to view me were more interested in remarking how neatly my limbs had been arranged by the murderer. Our next booking is the second weekend in July, in "Jason's retreat", a rural hideaway in Gloucestershire used by a male tantric association. My fate is to be discovered in one of the sauna cabins having been boiled to death! Participants will have to determine who turned on the heat full blast and locked the door?

A recent notice in our Jobs Board is evidence of the existential role of life models in medical tuition. A Masters Student from Hull/York posted a requirement for bodies for teaching sessions on the chest and abdomen. This is on the same lines as a series of classes I'm currently doing for a Professor of Anatomy in UMIST, Manchester, but in my case, I am required to be naked when being examined by the students, especially as the course includes the whole body, including the gluteus, groin, and prostate. £80 for the day!

And I'm delighted that I am to undergo an upside down crucifixion on 24th August, as a commemoration of the martyrdom of St Bartholomew - It will as always be an ultimate spiritual experience and an act of worship for me. The guy crucifying me wants to try out the techniques involved in doing this, which I know is more complicated than the normal crucifixion I'm used to. He thinks it will need some engineering skills, using pulleys, block and tackle, etc., so I'm fascinated to see what happens.

Good luck everyone, and be proud to be naked!
Kenneth 11th June 2018.

Kenneth 19: 2: 2017: My email is kandjfahy@aol.com.
And I can be reached on 07890 661717.
I can also provide plenty of images of my work.