I thought this commission would be straightforward. But my sitter’s response made me question my own attitude to my looks and body image
In September 2024, I was asked to paint the portrait of an 86-year-old man. He had apparently always wanted a formal portrait of himself, and a binge watch of Portrait Artist of the Year had finally spurred him to action. I had been receiving painting commissions for about three years, so I knew the drill: take receipt of a photo, render a painting that wouldn’t look out of place on a county cricket clubhouse wall, and pocket my semi-hard-earned money.
On this occasion, there were two immediate sticking points: first, the sitter wanted me to paint him in person, which would involve commuting to Reading from London and making small talk – to my mind the very worst of obligations. And second, to quote his WhatsApp message, he wanted me to “capture him”. How hard could that be, I thought?
