‘Bristol Asylum, Case Studies' is a series of oil paintings based on patients who were resident at Bristol Asylum in the late 19th century. The paintings are produced from archival photographs which were included in the patients' admission books, now housed at Bristol Archives. These photographs offer a glimpse into the emotional states of those facing institutional confinement.

Through a delicate process, paint is applied in translucent layers, gradually building depth and form. Certain detail emerges with striking clarity, whilst other areas are left incomplete or dissipate into the background, evoking a sense of impermanence and loss. The resulting portraits act as symbolic representations of individuals who are at risk of being forgotten, save for the solitary, timeworn photograph that preserves their existence, thus emphasizing the power of a single captured moment.

The project highlights those on the fringes of society, challenging traditional, hierarchical assumptions about the subjects of portraiture and reconsidering whose likeness is deemed worthy of remembrance.