I’m very honored to have been highly commended for my artwork by the Royal Scottish Academy. From my piece, I wanted to focus on portraiture and the human figure, and how they can represent the layers of humanity and relationships. The spliced and separated aspect of the image, including the different heights of the hands surrounding the face, frames it into focus. The portrait itself, being whole compared to its surroundings, is representative of the universality of expression. Overall, I wanted to combine the nature of confinement and the comfort of connection. Creating my piece involved lots of experimentation with mediums I had little experience with, so to have that work recognised makes me very grateful. I am thankful for the experience of creating and submitting my work, and to have it displayed with other young Scottish artists.