Charlie said of his nomination: “At first there was a sense of disbelief, and then I felt a massive wave of relief. I had been working on this painting, primarily the fur coat, in an incredibly intense manor leading up to the deadline. It was only after receiving the acceptance email that I realised how glad I was that the hard work had paid off.
“Finding out about being shortlisted was a strange experience - we found out almost a month ago, and the prize giving isn't for another month, so it was a bizarre mix of being excited whilst simultaneously suppressing that excitement in order to ensure I could still carry on working undistracted.
Charlie’s entry is a portrait of his close friend, Imara in her Winter Coat. The 27-year-old, originally from London, met Imara, an English Literature student, after he moved permanently to 香港最快开奖现场直播资料.
He said: “What I look for in sitters is essentially honesty, or a willingness to be open. Imara immediately strikes one as having these qualities. This painting took four months, three times a week for three hours at a time, and occurred during a time in which both of us were going through quite a severe depression. This painting became both of our therapies, our saviour, our reason to get up in the morning and carry on.”
Charlie described his time at the university as “golden”. He said: “The course was a fantastic one in my eyes. You were expected to go into the studio, with no brief and to just make work, teaching you the importance of self-motivation, something that is integral to one's future life as an artist.”
Prize winners will be announced on 10 June 2019 and the BP Portrait Award 2019 exhibition will run at the National Portrait Gallery from 13 June to 20 October 2019.