This post is about portraits of Older People.
I'm also posting larger images to my Making A Mark Facebook Page with shorter profiles.
My photographs were taken at the Private View and Press View associated with the opening of the exhibition back in June.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
TIP - Be sure to pay particular attention to the skin of older people and their heads and hands. Heads, hair and hands are basics which you must get right. Those grey hairs, saggy bits and wrinkles have all been hard earned over the years and deserve to be rendered both faithfully and sympathetically - which Chloe did extremely well!
Rosie Phillips (Instagram) - born in Cardiff in 2001 but grew up in North Norfolk, got an A Level in Art and design and now lives/works in Norwich. She is a professional artist who also works as an art technician and tutor.
Her portrait is of her parents relaxing with their dogs Buddy and Babs. It's the sort of familiar domestic scene many visitors to the exhibition will know well from their own homes
His persistence with entries - like others selected this year - demonstrates that you should never give up!
TIP: Just because you don't get in one year does NOT mean that you won't get selected in a future year - with a better portrait and a different set of judges. Never ever give up if you want it!
Mzee is a very colourful small portrait of his father Denzyl- painted to celebrate his 80th birthday. The title is Swahili and is a term for a respected elder. Daniel was competing with Rosie for one of the smallest heads in the exhibition. However, a closeup demonstrates it is meticulously rendered.
Other posts are:
- Portraits of Children (and Parents)
- Portraits of Older People (this post)
COMING SOON: to be published
- Self Portraits
- Portraits of Women
- Portraits of Men
- Portraits of Groups
I'm also posting larger images to my Making A Mark Facebook Page with shorter profiles.
My photographs were taken at the Private View and Press View associated with the opening of the exhibition back in June.
Portraits of Older People
- Three of the four artists shown below have known their subjects for very many years. In two instances they are painting parents.
- Two of the four portraits below include two people. It's unusual for a portrait selected for this competition to involve more than one person - although that might say more about what is submitted rather than what is selected.
- It's not unusual for there to be paintings of older people in this competition and those who paint older people seem to do well.
The first portrait in this post is by the second prizewinner, Chloe Cox - who painted two people she did not know before she painted them! Just to prove that an observed association does not always apply!
Chloe Cox
Judges Note: Second Prize
Chloe Cox's "What's Mine is Yours" is a beautifully painted and life-affirming double portrait, notable for its exceptionally accomplished technique and sensitivity of handling.The judges were particularly struck by the sense of joy and uplift that the work conveys, as well as the palpable connection and love between the sitters.
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What's Mine is Yours Oil on canvas (2024) 90 x 60 cm | 35.4 x 23.6 in © Chloe Cox |
Chloe Cox (b.1997) is a self-taught artist who studied English literature with creative writing. She was invited by His Majesty the King to create a new portrait for the Royal Collection Trust for the exhibition Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, seen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the National Portrait Gallery, London (2023-24). She was included in the Jackson's Art Prize 2025, winning the People's Choice Award.
This portrait is of two people that Chloe Cox did not know.
She was invited to take part in the BBC television series Extraordinary Portraits and this led to Chloe Cox being paired with Marva and Lionel Warmington to create their portrait.
The couple have fostered more than 200 teenagers over the past 30 years, providing culturally sensitive care for vulnerable young people from a variety of backgrounds. Cox was filmed meeting the Warmingtons for their sitting as their conversation helped her decide on a format for the portrait. She says:
'What struck me most was the balance between Marva and Lionel as a couple. She is more outgoing and full of ideas. He is the quiet, steady presence. I felt the portrait needed to show that harmony. Their love story hasn't just sustained their marriage, it has created stability and belonging for hundreds of young people."
The emotional content of the relationship between these two individuals also reads extremely well - and is unusual in the context of this competition. Question: Do you need two people to convey emotional content?
Also, I note from the photo above that the heads are both close too life size, maybe a tad larger, which means on the wall they "speak to you" very easily.
In addition to the Judges Comment above, I think the Judges may well have also been rather impressed by her handling of their heads, hair and their hands. So here's two close-ups that I took! I also thought the careful consideration given to the tonal palette was very helpful. Nothing jarred the eye.
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| Marva and Lionel Warmington - Heads from What's Mine is Yours Oil on canvas (2024) 90 x 60 cm | 35.4 x 23.6 in © Chloe Cox |
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| Marva and Lionel Warmington - Hands from What's Mine is Yours Oil on canvas (2024) 90 x 60 cm | 35.4 x 23.6 in © Chloe Cox |
I'm not in the least bit surprised that Chloe Cox was a prizewinner. She deserved it. After the third prize announcement, I really did not know which portrait was going to get the top prize.
Rosie Phillips
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| Nest Oil on linen (2024) © Rosie Phillips |
Rosie Phillips (Instagram) - born in Cardiff in 2001 but grew up in North Norfolk, got an A Level in Art and design and now lives/works in Norwich. She is a professional artist who also works as an art technician and tutor.
She is self taught (i.e. not been to art school) but has been heavily invested in developing both her practice and career since an early age via competitions and exhibitions and building a body of commissioned and original work. This has resulted in a number of awards.
She was also a contestant on Portrait Artist of the Year in 2022 (S9 H5) and 2024 (S11 H7) - both with impressive full figure submissions - and was shortlisted in both series and won her heat in 2024 and participated in the semi final. Recent exhibition achievements include:
- The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) Bicentennial Exhibition (2023)
- The RBA Rising Stars Exhibition (2024)
- Affordable Art Fair Hampstead
- The Jackson’s Painting Prize exhibition at Bankside Gallery
Familiar figures and animals often occupy my paintings. I like to observe informal, playful and/or domestic moments, towing the line between the abstract and the figurative.TIP: Consider the size of your portrait if painting a full figure. My only wish is that Rosie had painted the portrait somewhat bigger. I wondered afterwards whether she had painted it for herself and then decided it might be an appropriate entry. Painting small is something artists often do in competitive open entries for art society exhibitions - where they are very much competing for wallspace with existing members. This is a much less relevant consideration for art competitions, especially in relation to portraits of the full figure. Larger portraits have more impact and are relatively rare.
S. Ross Browne
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My friend as he is Oil on canvas, 2026 © S. Ross Browne |
S. Ross Browne is An American portrait artist. b. 1969 in Mt. Vernon, NY he studied
- Communication Art and Design at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, VA and
- Photography at The Corcoran School of the Arts in Washington, DC.
- He is also an alumnus of The Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He prepared for the painting with a detailed sketch from life and photographs.
The subject is one of S. Ross Browne's closest friends (over 35 years). The artist wanted to capture their friend "as he is" in his element. He comments that
'historically, successful people of societal importance would be painted in their finery on a horse. My inspirational friend echoes this but in his truck and in his everyday work attire.'
His own aim was to convey the important role that his friend has as a 'mentor and a pillar' in his life and their community.
TIP: Painting somebody who has particular meaning to you means you are always going to try and do your very best when painting their portrait.
For me,
- his portrait just catches your eye and draws you in as soon as you see it, because it's so unusual.
- It's realism in a real situation and the way his friend looks right at you makes you want to study him further.
- What also struck me while writing this post is that the portrait is just a tad smaller than life size - compare the size of the heads of Ross and his friend.
TIP: I'd make the same recommendation to Ross as I have to many others over the years which is, if you're going to enter a prestigious competition, be sure you make time to update your website!
Daniel Sequiera
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Mzee Oil on panel, 2025 © Daniel Sequeira |
Daniel Sequiera b. Surrey (1983) has focussed completely on painting since 2014. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in product design from Leeds Metropolitan University, then worked as a graphic designer before completing a year of academic drawing at the London Atelier of Representational Art (LARA).
He has exhibited his work in group exhibitions including the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Portrait Prize 2015 winning third prize and Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
TIP: Just because you don't get in one year does NOT mean that you won't get selected in a future year - with a better portrait and a different set of judges. Never ever give up if you want it!
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| Mzee - a crop to demonstrate the rendering of the head © Daniel Sequeira |
Sequeira paints this colourful and geometric portrait as a tribute
to his vibrant life. The background tones reference his father's birth in Bombay, India, and an adolescence spent in Mombasa, Kenya, before meeting the artist's mother in London. 'When I painted it, I thought a lot about how lucky I am to be from both English and Indian cultures and the colour choices represent a little bit of that to me.
Other portraits of older people
included
A LOT of artists have told me over the years - in the Private/Press Views - that they know who I am - "You're Making A Mark!" and have read a lot of my posts - and that in short is why I do them....
REFERENCE: HSFK Portrait Award 2026
A LOT of artists have told me over the years - in the Private/Press Views - that they know who I am - "You're Making A Mark!" and have read a lot of my posts - and that in short is why I do them....These are the posts I've published this year so far - there's more to come (in italics). You may think this is totally OTT. However this has been a very popular international art competition for very many years - and I think it's worth it!
- Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026: SHORTLIST Announced
- Selected Artists (Part 1: A-H) for The Portrait Award 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery
- Selected Artists (Part 2: I - Y) for The Portrait Award 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery
- Mark Dalessio wins £35,000 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
- The Tale of the Portrait Award Catalogue 2026 - and two major mishaps
- Portrait Award 2026 - Artists with their paintings (Children and Parents)
to be published:
- Portrait Award 2026 - Artists with their paintings (Self Portraits)
- Portrait Award 2026 - Artists with their paintings (Women)
- Portrait Award 2026 - Artists with their paintings (Men)
- Portrait Award 2026 - Artists with their paintings (Couples and Groups)
- Review of Portrait Award 2026: What's changed and what's not
- Portrait Award 2026: The 10 portraits I liked the most
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