Selected for National Gallery Exhibition.

I’m very excited to share that my painting “Spider-Boy” has been shortlisted for the Scottish Portrait Awards 2026. As part of this, it’ll be shown in an exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, running from November 2026 through to April 2027. The show will include around 60 contemporary paintings by Scottish artists, alongside the photography awards exhibition, so it should be a really strong mix of work.

The painting itself is a portrait of me as a boy, dressed in a Spider-Man suit. It’s part of my “Common People” series, where I’ve been working from old family photos and reimagining them as paintings. The whole idea behind the series is to highlight everyday moments and working-class life in a way that feels honest and relatable.

With “Spider-Boy”, I think what makes it work is how open it is. It’s specific to me, but at the same time it isn’t. The whole idea behind Spider-Man is that it could be anyone under the mask, and I like that people might see their own kids, or even themselves, in it.

I also had another painting, “My First Birthday”, longlisted for the awards. That one focuses more on family gatherings and those kind of shared moments. It didn’t make the final shortlist, but I’m still really pleased it got that far, especially considering there were over 2,500 entries across the awards, with 127 works selected overall for exhibition.

On top of that, I’m also in the running for the Young Fine Artist Award, so I’ll be keeping everything crossed ahead of the ceremony in November.

It’s a bit surreal seeing this work head to a space like the Portrait Gallery, especially something that started from such personal, everyday imagery. Really grateful to have it included.