Katherine Parr attributed to Master John
oil on panel, circa 1545       1803 mm x 940 mm

National Portrait Gallery, London 

Each month, I'll share something from the journey this project is taking me on — the research, the paintings as they develop, and the thoughts that surface along the way.

This month I've been thinking about scale. Some time ago, I stood in front of the painting above in the National Portrait Gallery. I keep returning to it in my mind. The subject is Katherine Parr (the last wife of Henry VIII), and it's attributed to Master John. It is the first full-length portrait of a British queen. She simply occupies the space — fully, unapologetically. There is something in that act of being seen completely that has stayed with me ever since.

Every person I am painting deserves to be fully seen — their heritage, their journey, their presence honoured at a size that makes you stop.

Scale in portraiture is endlessly fascinating. At one end of the spectrum sits Katherine Parr, commanding a panel that fills the height of a room. At the other — this extraordinary object, (below) a 19th century keepsake ring displaying a tiny painted eye, a private token of love small enough to be held in a closed fist. From the monumental to the intimate, we have always found ways to cherish the people who matter to us.

I'd love to know — have you ever stood in front of a portrait and been struck by its scale? Something that stopped you, whether through its grandeur or its smallness? I'd love to hear about it.

The completed portraits will be exhibited in August 2027, supported by Borderlands, the Creative People and Places programme for Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland, funded by Arts Council England.

I'll be sharing more from this project in each newsletter — the research, the paintings as they develop, and something of the stories that have stayed with me.

A 19th-century gold keepsake ring from the British Museum, featuring storage for hair and the image of an eye.