When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, I began to think of ways to make art that is personal and current.  Being a portrait artist for most of my studies, I am familiar with working from live sitters to capture likeness however, with the sudden change of social distancing, I had to uncover innovative ways to capture the faces that surround me, which means through screens.  I understood that studying for my masters during a pandemic would be different, and instead of making art that distracted me from this difference, I decided to make art that confronted and documented it.

As changes continued around me, from transport and social distancing, to not leaving home for weeks, the body of work began to grow. I began reconnecting with friends and family who were key workers, asking them to document (through photographs) themselves at work, including NHS staff, teachers and other key workers. After being in isolation, painting from these images connected me to the outside world and opened conversations online to those who are having to work during the pandemic to give me a greater understanding of the impact this was having on everyday people.