Portraits, paintings and drawings
This commission was fun from start to finish. Gus made contact with me, having been given a portrait of himself for his 60th birthday by his family. Although we didn’t actually know each other, there were so many connections between us – he is the bursar at my old school – which both my sisters … Read more
I was lucky enough to meet this incredible man in the spring of 2018. Commissioned by his wife, Jane, to paint her 80 year old husband, Tony, I had done a little research before arriving at their beautiful estate in Somerset with all my kit for the sitting. Enough to realise that he was my … Read more
This portrait is about those lovely relaxed endless sunny days of the summer holidays. Her gorgeous olive skin, fringed denim shorts, ankle bracelet and bare feet sing out the song of summer.
The Sitter Isla is the oldest of 4 children. At 12, the adolescent is lurking in the wings but she is still delightfully young and sweet and in the full swing of pony madness. She arrived, as instructed, with lots of changes of clothes and various props including some rosettes and, rather charmingly, her teddybear. … Read more
I absolutely loved this commission. On paper it was potentially full of complications. Portraits of 2 brothers – one of 15, one of 9. The 15 year old is very much a young man, tall and long-limbed and rather camera shy. The 8 year old – a chorister at Salisbury cathedral – is a young … Read more
This was a fascinating commission. Two individual portraits of twins. When painting siblings, I always try and ensure that the paintings work both separately and collectively. This means choosing poses that work together so that the children aren’t all facing the same way (like sitting on a bus). With twins, and the added closeness that … Read more
Sian de N burst into my life when she turned up for a head and shoulders sitting, bringing her devoted border terrier, Dolly, along for the ride. Sian is one of the most fun and energetic women I have met in years and we hit it off famously and felt like old friends within … Read more
The Story This was a really enjoyable and unusual commission. I was contacted by Helena’s grandfather, Peter back in October, 2014. About 100 years ago, in the early 1900’s, Helena’s great-grandmother, Beatrice Irene, was painted at 7 with her dog, a terrier, by the renowned Edwardian portrait artist Edmond Brock. Three generations later and at … Read more
This is a family of four enchanting Irish children that I have just finished painting – 6 months of work. It was a very interesting and challenging commission with the children’s age ranging is from 11 down to 4 years old. The challenge was to produce 4 individual oil portraits of these highly individual children that had cohesion as a set. … Read more
I had previously done a pastel head and shoulders of both of Bella’s brothers, and that was what was planned for Bella. But when she walked into my studio dressed in an extraordinary and very carefully chosen outfit: party dress with full veil petticoat, favourite sparkly scuffed shoes (one with a bow missing), silver … Read more