Boy in the Ball Pool

A young boy is sunk to the chin in a pale blue inflatable pool brimming with plastic balls in every colour - crimson, magenta, purple, lime, marigold and cobalt. His dark tousled hair, watchful eyes and face surface above the tide, his gaze slipping sideways with the quiet absorption of a child caught mid-play. Each ball is rendered with photorealist precision, catching a bead of highlight and casting a soft shadow on its neighbour.

A portrait of the artist's own son, the work carries the close attention only a mother brings. The near-square format crops the world down to the child and his sea of colour, turning a simple game into an intimate portrait steeped in warmth.