rbsa portrait prize exhibition

My portrait of Mansoor which featured in this year’s RBSA Portrait Prize exhbition

Earlier this year, I was honoured to be commissioned by Dudley College of Technology to produce a series of portraits featuring refugees enrolled on its ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) course. These were intended to form part of an exhibition featuring portraits by the college’s talented photography students and interviews with the refugees by TV and media students.

At the time, I produced four portraits in watercolour which were featured in the exhibition at Dudley Archives. These were based upon preparatory sketches with the refugees, where I talked to them and learned more about the situation in their home countries and the often difficult journeys they’d had to make to seek sanctuary in the UK.

stories from refugees and preparatory sketches

Many of the refugees I spoke to had come from war-torn countries such as the Ukraine, Iran and Sudan. As they talked while I sketched and the students took photographs, each and every one of us was deeply moved by their experiences and in awe of their resilience.

As I began work on my series of watercolour portraits, I was constantly thinking about the troubles they’d faced and conscious that my paintings had to reflect this as much as possible. Naturally, I wanted to achieve a likeness of my subjects, but I also wanted these paintings to convey a deeply personal message which hopefully resonated with the viewer.

The exhibition at Dudley Archives was a huge success, with more than 100 people attending the opening evening in February 2024. The mayor of Dudley was in attendance, as were reporters and photographers from the Express and Star newspaper, which covered the event here.

The mayor of Dudley and I discussing my paintings of the refugees

THE RBSA PORTRAIT PRIZE EXHIBITION 2024

As the exhibition at Dudley Archives continued, so did my work on the portraits of these refugees. I felt it was important to capture all those I had spoken to, with a view to a finished series of six paintings. So, after completing my final portrait of Mansoor, I decided to enter his portrait into the RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists) Portrait Prize exhibition 2024 and see if my work could attract a wider audience.

I was delighted when my painting was one of 81 selected to be exhibited – especially as 472 works were submitted to this prestigious event by 272 artists from all over the UK. The private view in May this year was hugely popular, with many people attending on the night and visiting the gallery after this date.

However, there was one person who hadn’t seen my portrait yet – Mansoor himself. Therefore, I was thrilled when he came to the gallery in Newhall Street, Birmingham to see my watercolour painting recently, accompanied by Phil Brooks (photography tutor at Dudley College) and Sally Hebbard (ESOL tutor and joint co-ordinator of the exhibition at Dudley Archives).

Mansoor and I with his portrait at RBSA Gallery, Birmingham

It was an honour to paint Mansoor and the other refugees I got to know. And, to have my work featured in such a prestigious exhibition was the perfect conclusion to a deeply rewarding project – one of many I hope to be involved with in the future.

Thanks to Phil, Sally, Mansoor and all the other refugees for this opportunity. Thanks also to the judges of this year’s RBSA Portrait Prize exhibition for choosing my painting – here’s to many more exhibitions in your wonderful gallery space.

As a portrait painter, I’m always on the lookout for new subjects. Why not get in touch with me via my contact page to discuss a painting of your own?