Nicki Spiers — Hello RVA

Nicki was recommended for this project through a mutual friend and I couldn’t be more thankful for having met with her! We scheduled our meeting at the Oregon Hill Overlook and she showed up right on time, with both height and stature bearing a powerful presence. She radiated confidence with every step and as we started talking, I knew it didn’t end there. This woman is truly unique, with a skill set to match. Figure modeling is one of those jobs that I knew existed, but never actually thought about in any detailed terms. So, hearing about it from someone like Nicki really blew me away. There’s so much more to it than you might think!

Meet Nicki Spiers: Figure Model and Artist

In which we talk about the ins and outs of figure modeling, the dangers of locked knees and a refusal to be defined.

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My name is Nicki. I came to Richmond almost three years ago now. [I’m] from Williamsburg originally and never thought I’d leave… and kind of glad I did. Williamsburg will always be home, but Richmond just fits better.

Why is Richmond a better fit?

A lot of different reasons. Williamsburg is kind of narrow, culturally. Everybody is super nice, but … I wouldn’t go to Target in my pajamas. I’d always make sure I had my make up right, nothing too wild, a little more conservative. Here, if I wear blue lipstick to target, there’s eight other people wearing something more alternative. And in addition to that, I’m 6 foot 1. So, in Williamsburg, I’d walk in places and people would check my shoes to see if I was wearing heels. And here, there are so many women of my dimensions and it’s nice. I’m just one in a crowd.

So, tell me about being a figure model!

My mother posed for a sculptor when I was a kid and we used to hang out at the studio for this artist and pick every herb in his garden - lots of mint and lemongrass. And so it was kind of a bucket-list item. I went to my first one and I was terrified. My fiance - who is just the best - had to talk me into it. I had been saying I wanted to do it forever and I was so shaky that he had to drive me. And I just loved it. Since then, I’ve been finding as many opportunities as I can to do it. When you’re in the middle of all those people paying attention to every little piece of you, it’s almost like you’re being worshiped. It’s really fun. So, right now, I pose three or four times a week.

How do you break into that?

Luckily, Richmond has such an art community that I was able to just message a friend of mine who was an artist and she set me up with my first one. From then on, there is the Richmond figure models guild. There’s no membership dues, they don’t charge artists to find models, they’re just sort of the connection. So, they send you a list of when open figure drawing nights are, what places are looking for models. If someone contacts them directly and they’re like, “we want this body type for this project,” then they reach out to us and see who’s available.

What sort of things do you pose for specifically?

My favorite is an oil painting class at Crossroads that Curney Nuffer teaches. It’s so much fun. Most of the time I do drawing groups or drawing classes. So, 2D, a lot of newbies at VCU, which is fun. I had a class recently where I was the first person they had ever drawn. It was really cute. That’s generally what it is ... 2D drawing. I have posed for a sculptor before.

One of the things I find so fun about it is you kind of think, “Oh, well I can get anybody and if they’re willing to take their clothes off, then I can draw them.” But if you lock your legs, you can black out. If you hold the wrong pose you can cause some serious damage to yourself. And there’s no training for it. I learned most of what I learned by scouring the internet for other people who have done this to learn the ins and outs. Because obviously the first thing you do when someone’s like “do an interesting pose” you want to put your hands up in the air. But if you have to hold if for 30 minutes… yeah. You have to learn how to be nice to yourself.

How long does an average session last?

About three hours. The longest you’ll hold any one pose at a time is about 30 minutes. A lot of time, especially with sculptors or oil painters - anything that takes a while - you’ll hold the pose, they’ll tape where you’re sitting and then you get a five minute break and you have to get back into the pose… which hurts. Something always hurts. It doesn’t matter how comfortable you are when you start. I have a class that I’ve been posing for for about four weeks, twice a week… the same pose every time. Just leaning my head up against my hand. And now, every time I get into the pose, I hear my entire body argue with me about it.

Typically, a session starts with gesture drawings where you get into a pose anywhere from thirty seconds to about two minutes, something really weird and interesting. They draw the basic idea as quickly as they can and then you switch. So typically, I’ll do ten or fifteen of those at the beginning, depending on what the class wants. Because obviously whoever the instructor is is generally in charge.

I’ve never posed for anyone who wasn’t worried about me, which is very nice. I’ve only had one close call and it was because both myself and the professor forgot to set a timer. So, equal fault there.

But gestures are my favorite because I get to be a little more weird, do the things that are harder to hold.

It sounds like yoga!

You know, you can either pay somebody to do naked yoga… or you can be paid for naked yoga.

I actually had a student at one of the classes come up to me at the end and she goes, “I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk to you.” Because the rules for models are very strict. We’re not allowed to be touched, not allowed to say anything sexual or inappropriate. So, I’m a bowl of fruit. That’s my job.

One of the rooms at VCU, in fact the one that I posed for that particular student in, they have cross beams that hang kind of low… (well, low if you’re 6’1) and so I just kind of Tarzan off of them because I can hold the grating and just stand on one foot and get weird.

It’s so much fun. And it’s a type of modeling that I think fits me really well. Because the goal is not to be attractive. You’re not trying to be pretty or delicate or show off a product. The idea is to be interesting. So, if I’m all scrunched up and curled up in a ball, then that can be interesting. You know, it’s all about lines.

Do you have any other side gigs or hobbies?

I love art, which is one of the other reasons I got into this. So, I do a lot of painting. Wooden signs for soccer moms kind of thing. I paint landscapes on antiques, I’ve done a pencil series recently of plus-sized naked super heroes, essentially. Like, just large women in superhero poses. Which is fun. Because I’m getting married, I also am a nanny and work at a craft store. Generally, the posing is my primary gig though.

What initially brought you to Richmond?

I’ve been here about three years and my fiance, who was my boyfriend at the time, was here going to VCU for engineering. I had just quit my job in Williamsburg, I was trying to find a place to live, so I moved to Richmond and stayed with an artist friend of mine for about a year, then moved in with the now-fiance. So, it’s been wonderful.

Tell me about some of your favorite places to spend time in the city.

I love the local businesses here. The mom and pop shops are my favorite. Rest in Pieces right in Oregon Hill is my heart and soul. They’re just so nice! Dog Krazy in Carytown - I have a pit bull that is my whole world. So, we go everywhere. She’s such a sweetheart. If I’m not mistaken, they’re LGBT owned, they’re in Carytown right next to Zamm. They make some of their own treats, they have a wash station, and a lot of natural dog chews. Freeze-dried duck heads and that sort of thing.

Then Oregon Hill is probably my favorite neighborhood. Our first apartment together was in Oregon Hill. I mean, it’s got Hollywood Cemetery, it’s right on the river, it’s quirky and artsy and all the street art. We’re out in the suburbs now, but I enjoy being out here.

What are some of your primary focuses in life?

“Don’t diminish yourself. Not for anyone. Be big.”

I believe life is the sum of your experiences. So, my job doesn’t define me and my relationships don’t define me but the amount of things I do and the number of stories I have… I mean, that’s my goal. So, sure, I’m getting married and I want to have kids and probably more pit bulls. But that’s not the end all be all. I want to travel, I want to talk to strangers and it’s one of the things I love about Richmond - you can walk up to strangers and be like, “you wanna take a selfie?”

I had a couple of older ladies at the art museum last year who were just like, “You wanna see pictures of our grand kids?” because we were just talking in line. I was like, “Yes! Yes, I 100% want to see pictures of your grand kids.” So, I love the one-off conversations and the fun stories.

What inspires you and how do you find motivation?

That’s a hard one because I swear it changes week to week. I like having a project. Something with a clear goal that I can get a little stressed over. I’m actually loving every bit of wedding planning. Every little bit of stress... that’s what motivates me. Our projects and again, experiences. When it comes to posing, I’ve always loved art and I just want to contribute in my own way. I don’t have the drive to be a professional fine artist. It takes so much work and so much dedication to your craft. So, this is kind of my way of contributing without breaking bones.

Tell me about some of your most rewarding experiences in your line of work.

The oil painting class that I mentioned earlier at Crossroads. It’s a lot of people who either started doing art later in life or particularly wanted to learn oil painting... and they are the most rewarding people to pose for. The stranger a pose I get in… they gasp. They physically gasp! Almost every pose… and it’s just so nice to get that feedback and to know that that’s what I’m doing it for. It makes me want to develop new poses. I’m constantly in front of my mirror, putting hands up and shoulders turned and squatting in weird gargoyle positions around my house.

It’s really nice to have people excited to have you pose for them and to contribute to their work.

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud of the people I have in my life. I’m very lucky to have this expansive network of people that make my life better. Like I mentioned, when I came to Richmond, I first lived with a friend who’s an artist. He was my middle school boyfriend … we met when we were 11 and bonded over pokemon cards. Then after high school, we didn’t meet up again until our ten year reunion. Then we hung out twice as a double date with my fiance and I and he and his girlfriend.

And then when I needed a place to stay in Richmond, it wasn’t a problem. He was like, “Yeah! I’ve got an extra room, you can pay me almost nothing!” When I got engaged, he threw a bunch of money at me to secure my venue, and it’s just nice… it’s really nice to have people like that who stick around. And that’s just one example. I have people who drive an hour just to help me paint for wedding stuff. I have good people… and I’m very happy.

Do you have any advice for someone who is seeking to break into your line of work?

Don’t lock your knees! You will face plant. It will be very embarrassing and you might not want to do it again! Advice is hard, it comes from situation to situation.

I keep mentioning I’m 6’1. Because when you are a large person, it starts to define you. Everyone is constantly wanting you to reduce. Be skinnier, be shorter, be smaller. And it’s one of the things I love about this job. If I want to wear my heels, I will wear my heels and I am going to be a presence. So, don’t diminish yourself. Not for anyone. Be big.