Rosemary (2020)

The series of drawings were created and donated to #100 Rooms in collaboration with artist Shezad Darwood, Brent NHS Trust, Vital Arts and Modern Forms. A poignant portrait series, “Rosemary,I,II, III ( 2020)” pays tribute to NHS nurse Rosemary and the resilience of all health workers on the frontlines.

“With my mother having worked for, and one of my daughters now working for, the NHS, and another also a frontline worker, service to the nation’s health is very much a family matter in our household. Frontline NHS staff are of course particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, and the susceptibility of ethnic minorities to the pandemic is sadly a matter of fact. My daughter bears witness to not only surviving the virus, but immediately upon recovery, returning to frontline NHS duties. These works are about giving thanks and paying tribute to the brave people who have done, and are doing, so much to protect us all. The drawings capture my friend Rosemary, who is a nurse, her head in three positions and her face bearing different expressions. I wanted to capture the sense of quiet dedication, dignity and commitment that she, and indeed, a great many other NHS workers, embody. Through the heavy tonal background I have used on two of them, the drawings do also evoke something of the ominousness and challenges of the times ahead, as well as the current times. I was however, keen to convey the feeling of optimism that we all need to get ourselves through these difficult days. I am so proud of my daughters. I am so proud of my friend, Rosemary. I am so proud of our NHS.”

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Photography by Chris Keenan