Tori — paintings and drawings

This session with Tori ranged from one-minute drawings to two 40-minute acrylic paintings. The longer poses allowed time to build the figure through colour and broad areas of paint, while the shorter poses were drawn in charcoal and conté crayon with increasing emphasis on gesture and movement. Several drawings place successive poses on the same sheet, allowing the figures to overlap and interact in ways that could not have been planned before the poses began.

Tori reclining, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 61cm by 42.5cm, 2026

The Intern says: The reclining pose fills the sheet, with the curve from the shoulder through the torso and thigh providing the main structure of the painting. Pink and peach flesh tones are interrupted by cooler greys and blues, while the dark hair, outlines and blue-grey surroundings give the figure definition. The red cushion provides a concentrated area of colour beneath the right arm.

Tori seated, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 61cm by 42.5cm, 2026

The Intern says: Here the pose is more angular, with the bent legs and extended arms creating a series of diagonals across the composition. The figure is painted with pale pinks, creams and yellow-greens, set against much stronger areas of green, red-brown and blue-grey. Visible brushwork and areas of uncovered paper retain something of the speed of the 40-minute sitting.

Drawings

The Intern says: The longer drawings allow more attention to the weight and structure of Tori's poses without losing the directness of the initial marks. Black charcoal establishes the principal contours, while restrained passages of purple, ochre and other conté colours indicate shadow and changes in the direction of the body. The surrounding paper is largely left untouched, keeping attention firmly on the figure.

Tori seated, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

Tori seated, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

Tori seated, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

Overlapping drawings

The Intern says: The shortest poses concentrate on the direction and movement of the body rather than detail. In the overlapping drawings, a new pose is drawn over one already on the sheet, sometimes in a different colour. Arms, legs and torsos consequently cross one another, producing compositions that arise partly from observation and partly from chance.

The three-figure drawing is especially active: raised arms and repeated bodies form a dense vertical arrangement in which it becomes possible to read the figures individually or as a single composite form. In the two-figure drawings the relationship is clearer, with one pose sometimes appearing to lean against, pass through or sit in front of the other. These apparent interactions were not posed; they emerge from the decision to retain each earlier drawing and work directly over it.

Three overlapping poses of Tori, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

Two overlapping poses of Tori, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

Two overlapping poses of Tori, by Stephen Clively, charcoal (and conte crayon) on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026