I am delighted to welcome
Roswell Ivory, model and writer - read her blog at
WordPress - as a contributing editor of UdA. Roswell is one of the most active models on the UK art nude scene. I have interviewed her on behalf of UdA and asked her to select her favourite images in her portfolio.
It has been five years since I was spotted by a talent scout at a festival and began modelling- and if I said I loved every minute of it, you’d probably roll your eyes and skip to the next article in the hope that the model doesn’t use that old chestnut again… so I won’t…
I often get freezing cold, swelteringly hot, soaking wet and very tired when posing, because that’s the life of a nude model. But what I do love, other than the travel, the meeting people, and yes occasionally (ok, usually) even the photoshoot itself, is seeing the shots at the end and knowing those bruises were worth it and will continue being worth it for years to come.
So bring on that muddy field, frosty November waterfall and jagged cliff edge, because scenery usually looks better with a naked lady!
My favourite images in my portfolio
This is the picture that still gets the most feedback, even today.
I had met Titus a long time ago but it was a year later that we did this photoshoot. Sometimes, you’re posing and the photographer’s clicking away and you both stop because you know you have The Shot right there. This was one of those moments.
by Gregory Miles Brown
I was in Spain with three photographers and two other models on an art-nude expedition. The original plan was have the material billowing in the wind except there was no wind and therefore no billowage! It was my idea to tie the material to the metal ring but I can’t remember who decided I should lean back. Either way, this is one of my favourite shots in my portfolio.
I can’t possibly convey how tired I was before this shoot (spending the night in an airport is not fun), but as soon as I began posing, adrenaline kicked in. We’re in Barcelona’s Parc Labyrinth which is full of statues of Greek deities and has resident herons! (I was watching one which was eyeing the fish in the pond, and trying not to disturb it as I moved around).
Backroads of Cornwall with photographer G Haskew, when our road was closed and we had to take a detour. This piece of Middle Earth loomed in front of us and at some point during my spiel of Lord of the Rings fangirl bliss, I managed to take my clothes off and pose!
(You can tell I wasn’t planning to shoot that day- I’d plaited my hair before bed the previous night which is why it’s wavy!)
I like that this image combines art-nude and fetish as these genres provide the majority of my work. I didn’t think I'd get a chance to show off my “pony boots” during an art-nude booking, but I was glad I did. (Yes, I can walk in them too…)
I was shooting with Sylvie Blum at around 6am and remember bursting out laughing just before this shot. I had been bullied throughout my childhood and teen years and at that moment was thinking about how far I‘ve come since then. I think, right there, you are seeing the happiest woman on the planet.
One of the last shots from the Spain art-nude trip. All week, I’d been after some simple but sultry images and here is one, taken against the wall of our villa by John Tisbury.
I love the natural world and never feel more at home posing than when I’m out in the wild somewhere! I just love the impact of this location (which looks exactly like this- minimal photoshop), and it’s just down the road from me!
Another from Barcelona’s Parc Labyrinth. We came across this little shelter and I fell in love with it! So I posed inside, outside, in the doorway, against the wall and hanging from the window bars… I’ve always liked experimenting and challenging myself on photoshoots- I’d rather try something and look ridiculous, than do the same pose and expression in every photo.
Another from Paris- against the bridge of Alexander III. Despite the seriously early hour, there were people bustling about and so we could only spend around five minutes at each location! I made the coat myself…
