Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Life drawing class puts some flesh on King’s Mile festival
Session heralds two months of arts activities
Taking your clothes off in a pub would ordinarily earn you an appearance in court and an indecent exposure conviction.
But Mike Burrell was free to bare all as The Jolly Sailor hosted a life drawing class to kickstart a two-month arts festival in Canterbury’s King’s Mile.
Throughout March and April, venues along the city centre stretch will offer everything from open mic nights and comedy to poetry and cinema.
The life drawing classes are already a regular fixture at the pub, taking place on Tuesday evenings and one Saturday a month.
Organiser Yvan Fontanel said: “This session is great for artists who may go on to sell their work but also for students trying to fill a portfolio.
“It is an opportunity that school or university may not be able to offer.
“We don’t always have nude models. For our next session we have a harpist coming in, who will be fully dressed.”
Pub landlord Ian Blackmore is also a committee member with the King’s Mile Association.
He said: “As the home of the Canterbury Fringe Festival, The King’s Mile has a history of being the hotbed for local up-andcoming arts and music.
“We have seen more and more of our traders embracing the culture of the area and welcoming artists to show and perform within their businesses.
“We have strong links with the local university groups and other local arts groups, but we would welcome more, so if you run a group or are looking for a venue please get in touch and join us in Canterbury’s Creative Quarter.”
For more information on the life drawing sessions, email Yvan on yfontanel@aol.com or call 01227 451991
For more information on the arts festival, visit www.thekingsmile.org.uk/news or email Ian.blackmore@ immense-tours.co.uk