Darling Portrait Prize 2022 Finalist
Cultural influences shape my aesthetic, both remembered and unconscious, and these are revealed through the process of painting. They help me to locate myself, and to connect my internal and external selves. French singer Mireille Mathieu's career began in 1965 and she is still performing today. Her song, Une Femme Amoureuse, was part of the soundtrack of my childhood in the 1980s. This self portrait is a reference to the era in which I grew up, the spirit of the music, and Mathieu's iconic haircut.