Portraits

“This portrait was a gift from my uncle to celebrate my reaching my half century. I was thrilled when Mark agreed to do it, and then a bit terrified of the process! I needn’t have worried, he made it a relaxed and entertaining event and I love the painting – even though this is me post mastectomy, post chemo and mid pandemic wondering where life was taking me. The picture is a powerful representation of a curious moment in time for me, my family and indeed the whole world. I am sitting on the main stairs at Ashley Court, I love the light here and the space, the house is shabby and half finished and I am barefoot, looking up to the first floor landing. I think Mark has perfectly captured the atmosphere of the house and the way we live in it. There is something very ‘half way up the stairs’ about the choice of location, the viewing angle and my position, as if about to step up or down, in mid-life. When I look at it now I think it is really symbolic of how things were at that time and this, in essence, is why a portrait is such a humbling and touching experience, one is invited to have a second look at the person you were at that point in time.”

Tara Fraser.
May 2022