This portrait is of Marina, the daughter of my excellent friend and colleague Lalo Borja . As the child of a photographer she has often been captured on camera but I am stuck by her poise and assurance none the less. The painting by John Butterworth is in a great retrospective show to celebrate his 50th birthday at The Horsebridge Centre in Whitstable until the 28th February. I dont know if John had Van Gogh’s chair in mind when he painted this but there seems to be similar instability in the perspective. I am above all however, reminded in this image of the Renaissance Popes of Raphael, Titian and later Velasquez which perhaps suggests a future career path that Marina might follow!