Portrait of M.S.

Cork adhesive, sand and acrylic on canvas. This portrait was a submission in the 2014 BP Portrait Awards in London where it was selected among the top 100 submissions for a second round of judging. It depicts someone very close to me. Unlike most of my other portraits where I tend to work from photographs, she sat for many hours which I was indeed a different kind of challenge. The cork glue is quite distinct from the tile adhesive that I used in later works - it's more fluid and easier to mix and spread on the canvas and has the ability to take on the appearance of 'skin'.