I wanted to capture my daughter on the cusp of adulthood; to use chiaroscuro to communicate the transition between childhood and adulthood; and to have fun, paying homage to past masters in the process.

As a child who loves being outdoors, she is seated outside, and positioned with sunlight behind her – an intentional placing that casts her in a state of becoming.

I hadn’t really thought about what she was wearing at the time, but her baggy, grey jumper became a key feature, serving as a symbolic anchor: a neutral, unfinished tone with big, loose strokes, for a self still under construction. But within that grey, I left gaps to reveal a subtle inner glow, letting warmth seep through the folds, as though lit from within. It suggests a spark she may not yet fully recognize – an internal luminosity guiding her through the shadows of coming of age.

Working in homage to masters such as Rembrandt, I embraced the physicality of the paint as a sculptural medium, using a variety of brush strokes and employing a palette knife to carve away wet layers, scraping back to reveal razor-sharp details such as the glint of light on her hair.

Through working gently and patiently in layers, the painting process mimicked my parenting journey, and became both homage and personal testament – to honour the legacy of past masters while capturing a young life poised between who she has been and who she is becoming.