I would firstly like to thank everyone at the friends of the RSA as well as say how pleased and grateful I am that I have won this award. This piece was inspired by my love for nature and jewellery which I combined by the inclusion of the bird and big hoop earrings. I decided to include a blue bird so that it could contrast the warm tones of the skin and stand out without fully taking away the attention from the portrait. I created this painting by using gouache on brown paper which helped me to determine the correct tones and colours meaning I could achieve a realistic finish.