No Fear, Dear Oil

(Sent ready to hang)

Based very loosely on the formidable and inspiring Betty Boothroyd, who died shortly before I started the painting. I was using a board that had already been used for an abstract piece that hadn’t worked out. After re-preparing the board I could still see hints of the original pattern underneath and very quickly saw an outline of the profile of an old woman in the faded abstract. She is wrinkled, pouting, hunched and refusing eye contact but I hope conveyed is her power, dignity and my affection for her.