Gabriel Lewis is a 21-year-old classical painter from England who lives and works between Durham and London. In 2019, he studied under the world-renowned Norwegian master, Odd Nerdrum, learning about old master techniques and the ‘Kitsch’ philosophy of painting, and spent the summer of the same year attending the New York Academy of Art Summer Programme with a scholarship, visiting the studio of Steven Assael. Gabriel has recently had a painting accepted into the Special Catalogue of the international portrait competition, ModPortrait 2020. He focuses on classical genres of painting, in particular still-life, portraiture, and landscapes and his main influences are old masters from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as nineteenth-century English painters, such as Leighton, Ruskin, Turner, and the Pre-Raphaelites. During my Pre-U Fine Art studies, I focused on human form and the process of ageing. My volunteer work in a care home provided me with great inspiration and my style varies from intricate realism to more abstract. I primarily work in oil paint. My portrait of an elderly lady, Jill, was awarded Third Prize in the Durham University Student Art Prize. I have always liked portraiture and during lockdown, I took part in Tom Croft’s ‘Portraits for NHS Heroes’ initiative. Under this scheme, artists reach out to individual key workers and paint their portraits, sending it to them afterwards to thank them for their hard work in the fight against the pandemic. In total I painted five portraits of NHS staff, both male and female, some in full PPE kit and others in more casual attire. I enjoyed each portrait as I loved reflecting their personality and values in their portrait and learning about their experiences during the pandemic. This gave me a sense of connectedness during a time when we were all feeling isolated.