My Oil Portraits:
Why I paint people and their portraits
I have always loved to paint people, my objective is to capture the subject’s essence in every portrait. Before painting, I look to connect with my subjects, so building trust is key. My portraits reflect my curiosity and these bonds which I form. My inspirations are the old masters such as Manet, Vermeer, and Caravaggio. Their traditional way of framing and lighting a portrait are important influences in my work.
I look for compositions which illustrate a moment in time, an interesting expression, or the way the light and atmosphere shapes a person. My fascination for others is revealed in the way I try to capture a brief moment of their life in paint.
Portraiture involves vulnerability for both artist and subject. A successful portrait hinges on our connection, revealing not just a likeness, but a glimpse of an essence - a moment in time.
Emily was the first friend I made when I moved to Bristol and someone I connected with through many deep conversations. Emily has this lovely, wandering, blue-eyed gaze when you’re talking to her. I sometimes feel that I can see unknown thoughts crossing her mind when we’re in conversation.
Emily is on a 6-year path to be a psychotherapist and this training requires periods of deep introspection. She describes how revisiting her childhood memories stirs a mix of emotions - nostalgia, joy, regret, and sorrow. Though I’ve wanted to paint Emily since meeting her, I was especially drawn to it at this time. I feel that she is, in this composition, both searching and reflecting, at the crossroads of identity.
Emily, oil on linen, 60 x 70cm, 2024Portfolio
CV
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2024 - Sixteen Gallery Moments in Time, Cheltenham, UK
Group Exhibitions
2025- Guildford House Guildford House Open 2025, Guildford, UK
22nd November 2025 - 28th Febrary 2026
2026 - Sixteen Gallery The Collective Curated, Cheltenham, UK
2024 - The Island Tenant Show, Bristol, UK
2024 - Royal West of England Academy RWA Annual Open 171 Bristol, UK
2023 - Sixteen Gallery Figurative Cheltenham, UK
2023 - The Island Tenant Show Bristol, UK
2023 - Cass Arts- Faces of Bristol Bristol, UK
2022 - People of Stokes Croft Republic The People's Art Fair Bristol, UK
2022 - The Island Tenant Show Bristol, UK
2022 - Salisbury Art Centre Wiltshire Creative Summer Open Salisbury, UK
2022 - Artizan Gallery Echoes in Time Torquay, UK
2021 - Kennaway House South West Academy Open Sidmouth, UK
2021 - The White Room Devon Open Studios Crediton, Devon, UK
2021 - Artizan Gallery English Riviera Summer Open Torquay, UK
2021 - King House Gallery Seasons (Semi-finalist in a virtual exhibition) Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK
2020 - Victoria Art Gallery Bath Society of Artists Bath, UK
2020 - The Old Brick Workshop Art in Isolation Wellington, Somerset, UK
2020 - The Glorious Art House Our Faces Exeter, UK
2019 - The Old Brick Workshop Somerset’s Art Week Wellington, Somerset, UK
2018 - ACE Arts Evolver Prize 2018 Exhibition Somerton, UK
2018 - Thelma Hulbert Gallery THG Open, Honiton, UK
2017 - Mall Galleries Royal Society of Portrait Painters, London, UK
2017 - The Old Brick Workshop Somerset Arts Week Open Studios Wellington, Somerset, UK
2016 - Six Foot Gallery Best of Degree Show Glasgow, UK
2016 - Edinburgh College of Art ECA Degree Show Edinburgh, UK
