Phoebe’s mother, Tori became a very important part in my life in the late 1990’s. We lived in the same tiny village near Ilminster. She was 14 and had just chosen her GCSE subjects, one of which was Child Development Studies. She needed a baby to study. And I lived just 50m down the road and was pregnant with Liv, my oldest daughter. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. One which I still cherish nearly 30 years later. As a family, we benefitted enormously from Tori’s burgeoning career as a primary school teacher. And both my daughters were bridesmaids at her wedding to Billy.
For Tori’s 40th birthday, her wish list for her birthday present from her extremely generous husband was a portrait of her 3 children – Phoebe, Tilly and Henry. And we decided that rather than do them all at the same time, to do them all at the same age – round about 13.
The Sitting
Phoebe was a natural sitter. As with all Gen Z, she was no stranger to the camera which made her a dream to art-direct. Tori left us to the sitting and we had fun.
The Look
With Phoebe’s ease in front of the camera we had hundreds of very striking images in no time at all, but they were largely very serious. While I try to steer away from smiley portraits as these are very wearing to look at and live with, an overly solemn expression can come across as very sad and mournful or really quite confrontational, particularly if they are looking straight at you. Neither of which are what we want (as a rule). What I am generally looking for is somewhere in between. I look for a sense of animation, of dialogue between the sitter and the viewer. The moment before (or after) the smile, where there is a glint of humour in the eyes and where the lips are relaxed but with the tiniest hint of a smile dancing at the edge.
The Portrait
I find this age – 13 – a fascinating age to do a portrait. They are on the cusp of adulthood but still with a few vestiges of the child. The challenge is to capture the adult and the child simultaneously.
She stares out at the viewer with a look that has a complex mix of strength, spirit, sass, seriousness, vulnerability, mischief and humour. Every time I look at it I watch different sentiments cross her face like clouds. I think it makes quite a compelling portrait.
