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​​People have always fascinated me.

I have been sitting in cafes and trains sketching faces since I was 17, or sitting quietly, just observing character and those little idiosyncrasies that make us all unique.

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A few years ago, I was lucky enough to have Anastasia Pollard as a teacher, and she told me about Rembrandt’s ‘triangle of light’. It’s that small shape where the light hits your cheekbone, when your nose casts a shadow below. And there it is: a small geometric shape of light. It was an epiphany - and if you try hard, you can see everything on faces in small shapes of light, varying in tonal value and colour - it felt like a miraculous discovery!

 

Colour plays a huge role in my paintings, and I do enjoy adding a splash of brightness here and there.

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Life drawing is also a great passion of mine. The human form is a gorgeous terrain of shapes and curves and textures - I can’t stress how important regular Life Drawing is to your practice. If you want to draw and paint people: find a Life Drawing class, go as often as you can.

 

Finding soul in your work is important too. If you’re lucky enough to be able to paint or draw someone from life: speak to them, try to find out about their lives and get to know them a little because this will help you identify those tiny brush marks that will make this person really come alive in your painting.

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