Settling into sitting is often misunderstood as an act of physical stillness. In practice, it begins elsewhere. Ease precedes stillness, and without it, sustained observation becomes difficult.

When a sitter first arrives, attention is still dispersed — shaped by movement, conversation, and the transition into the studio environment. Settling does not occur through instruction or correction, but through time. As the pace slows, the body adjusts naturally, and attention begins to collect.

Stillness as a State, Not a Pose

Stillness in portraiture is not the absence of movement. It is a state of relative balance that allows observation to continue without interruption.

Small movements — shifts of weight, changes in expression, moments of rest — are part of settling into sitting. They provide information rather than disruption. Attempting to eliminate movement entirely often creates tension, whereas allowing it to occur gradually leads to a more sustained stillness over time.

The Role of Attention

As settling into sitting progresses, attention shifts from self-awareness toward the work itself. Early self-consciousness is not resisted; it fades as observation deepens.

This shift cannot be hurried. It depends on repetition and return rather than effort. The longer the sitting continues, the less attention is directed toward posture or appearance, and the more it rests in the act of being observed.

Settling Across Multiple Sittings

Settling is not confined to a single session. It often unfolds across sittings, each one contributing to a greater sense of familiarity with the process.

What feels unresolved or unsettled early on frequently stabilises with repetition. The body remembers the rhythm of sitting, and stillness becomes easier to return to. This continuity allows the portrait to develop with greater coherence over time.

Ease as a Working Condition

Ease is not a byproduct of the work; it is one of its conditions. Without it, attention fragments and observation becomes strained.

Settling into sitting establishes a working state in which time can be used productively. This state supports the slow accumulation of observation that painted portraiture requires, allowing the work to unfold without urgency or correction.

Settling Into the Process

Settling into sitting is inseparable from settling into the wider process of portraiture. Both depend on time, repetition, and the gradual alignment of pace between sitter and work.

As ease replaces effort, stillness becomes sustainable. What begins as arrival and adjustment gives way to a rhythm in which observation can deepen, and the portrait can take shape incrementally, across sittings rather than within them.