Hi there, fellow models and members of our lovely society, and many thanks for the folk who kindly sent in messages saying how much they enjoyed my last notes from up here in the North West. Many also mentioned how interesting they found my online essays about being a nude life model, and these are accessible via the menu above, these have resulted in some valuable opportunities for more modelling work, for which I am grateful. In particular, my essay on volunteering for an experimental crucifixion was thought to be inspirational: one guy said I am a remarkable man to have endured what I went through, whilst another said that whilst highly impressed by my fortitude, he thought he could have done a proper job of crucifying me! He wants to meet me "in the flesh"; sounds interesting, so I have said yes, and we shall see what happens.
By the way, my email address for further comments is now gymnos.550@hotmail.co.uk It's good that more members in this part of the world have responded to my suggestion of more regular meet ups, and a half dozen of us -all models- now meet every fortnight to sit around and talk about our experiences. For most of the time we meet in someone's flat in central Manchester, generally on a Sunday, where we can be naked, and after a drink, we continue with a visit to the "Olu Deniz" , a genuine Turkish Bath House, or Hammam near Ancoats, , where our nude bodies are primped, soaped, pummelled, massaged and stretched in the traditional Ottoman way. Bliss!
On the subject of crucifixion, I mentioned last time that Gregory, my modelling partner, and myself were co-opted to "become" the two thieves in a passion play - in fact, an accurate and therefore arduous and physically demanding, painful re-enactment - of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and this took place on Good Friday. We're still suffering the aftermath. I intend to write an article describing the event and how it affected both of us - believe me, it was very much a profound and emotional religious experience along with the suffering . The performance was recorded on video, and has been uploaded on social media, including YouTube so I am told.
My description of the ban on gowns for models at the Liverpool School of Medicine produced some interesting comments: It was fascinating to learn how many models posing for life sessions other than in schools do not have gowns to put on during breaks; some use thongs, others use "budgie smugglers", and some just put on shifts or skimpy T shirts. In my case, I nowadays use a nice silky white pashmina which I wrap around my torso, fastened with velcro under my left armpit for quick discarding. . About four weeks ago I modelled for a three-hour life class in a hired community hall in Penketh, outside Warrington. A nice class with a lovely atmosphere, largely of retired folk. When the time came for the first break, as I reached for my wrap, Stan, the person who had hired me said "No, leave it off - we want you to stay as you are so we can draw some sketches of you whilst you're relaxing". So he took my wrap away and put it into a cupboard for the duration. Quite frankly, I didn't mind in the least, and I felt quite good as I walked around towards the end of the break to look at the artists' work; not even when one of them stroked my bare bum in the course of explaining to me how he had interpreted some features of my body. Really- some people have a cheek! Everybody said how particularly interesting they found my style of modelling. And when I settled down for the next pose, a voice came from the assembly "can I take him home with me?" That came from Ina, a Brazilian lady: she got her wish for a private session the following week, when she drew me naked on her kitchen table!.
Increasing interest is being shown by practitioners of life art in drawing and photographing the"the nude pile", whereby a number of models are assembled as a (sometimes choreographed) heap on top of one another. Malcolm, an artist who has a studio in Tarporley is very much into this, and picked up the concept from Eva, an artist he met in Bratislava. Gregory, myself and some others have made quite a few trips there recently to pose for Malcolm. Our bodies converge into contorted amalgamations of togetherness, piled high in a stack of vulnerable nudity often in such ambiguous positions that it's hard to tell if we are engaged in an orgy or as victims of post-apocalyptic slaughter. People who have seen the results (charcoal sketches and photography) have referred to us as body-scapes! I have photos of some of these works which I can send to anybody who would like to see them.
Speaking of bodypiles, I sometimes work for Jim Dalgetty, who sees himself as Cheshire's answer to Spencer Tunick, the doyen of photographic mass nudity. Jim is enthused by ST'S forthcoming event in Hull, and intends to do something similar on this side of the country, albeit to a considerably smaller scale. The venue Jim has in mind is his brother's large farm in isolated countryside near Malpas, obviously when -if?- the weather warms up. I and my fellow coterie of models have all signed up for it, and Jim is about to put out invites on social media for more bodies. His aim is thirty in total, of all physical shapes, sizes and sexes. Models will be unpaid (same as Tunick's policy) and must be uninhibited! .
At the moment, my target hourly rate for ordinary life modelling is £15 (sometimes I get paid more, and less if the person hiring me can't afford it - I model because I love doing it, not for the money.) About twice a month, I pose nude for Selwyn, a lovely guy in his seventies living in Swinton, Salford, who does fantastic sketches of the body - he'd love to attend a regular art class, but is struggling on his pension and can't afford it. Anyway, I love posing for him and talking about his past experiences when he worked in South Africa. He'd find it hard to pay me, so he reimburses me for my time by putting me on a table and giving me a superb, in-depth body massage: I pose for most of the afternoon, and the massage lasts an hour, which I think is a superb bargain.
So what's coming up in the near future? I've joined the Wirral Male Naturists Group, also the Shropshire/Cheshire/Derbyshire Nudists, and I am told this will produce contacts likely to generate more modelling opportunities for me. As I mentioned in my first essay on modelling, I belong to a group specialising in nude theatrics, including "Murder Mystery" evening events, but with a nudist element. We've ben hired by some members of the clubs I've mentioned to stage one of our productions in late May - as usual, I will be cast in the role of the dead body, realistically naked. Makes a change from being crucified, I suppose.
Anyway, that's all for the time being - I hope every one has a good time in whatever they are planning as warmer days beckon - I hope, and if anyone wants to meet up with me, use me as a model, or anything else, my contact address is at the start of this piece.
Best wishes
Kenneth
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