An expressive pastel portrait of my young niece, caught in a moment of uncomplicated delight. Broken strokes and interwoven warm and cool colour describe the changing light, while her direct gaze and emerging smile remain the emotional centre of the work. The portrait seeks to capture not only her likeness, but the vivid presence and individuality of early childhood. Availability: Not for sale — private family collection. Created as a gift for the artist’s parents. Pencil pastel on Pastelmat paper

Gerry Rorke

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Presence lies at the centre of my work. I am interested in how people exist in reality: with one another, in solitude, and within the ordinary spaces of everyday life. I am drawn to those moments when a person seems fully present, and to the traces that people leave behind in the objects they use and the rooms they inhabit. A chair, a doorway, a worn surface or an empty room can sometimes hold something of the lives that have passed through them. Working primarily in graphite, I use drawing as a way of paying attention. Rather than pursuing photographic realism for its own sake, I am interested in the energy of lived experience and the sense of presence that can emerge through observation. Children, family members, older people and everyday encounters often become subjects because they reveal something universal through ordinary moments. I graduated with a Fine Art degree in 1991 before pursuing a long career in public service. After returning to art following a thirty-six-year absence, drawing has become a way of reconnecting with the world. Working within the limitations imposed by chronic pain and disability, I draw when health allows, often for short periods from bed. The work is rooted in direct observation, memory and lived experience, and seeks to capture those fleeting moments when a person, place or object feels vividly alive.