My practice explores the relationship between classical expectations in figurative art and the modern societal diversity that we see today. In particular, my work attempts to solve the problems that surface when I represent people from a wide variety of sexual, racial and socio-economic backgrounds and place them within the framework of a traditional westernised canon. My work is a negotiation between these two extremes as I engage with the signs and visual rhetoric of diversity within my sitters, bridging this gap between artist, subject and viewer. My process begins with photographing family, friends and strangers. Methods of traditional portraiture are applied when negotiating their experience, perceiving their body language, gaze, and the identity they present. I translate their essence into classical poses and situations, aiming to shine a light on my sitters in a way that they may not have been seen within the communities they usually inhabit.