25/08/2026
I was happily surprised to learn that I have been awarded two Honours in the National Portrait Salon, run by the Tauranga Photographic Society, in the Creative Portrait section. 📸
One of those images is particularly special to me because it had been sitting in my head for quite a while before I finally got the opportunity to create it.
When my son was home on a break, he became my model — and Behind the Pain was actualised.
The title is a play on words: behind the pain… behind a pane.
The pane of glass represents the barriers and facades we can hide behind when we don't want others to see how we are really feeling. Behind it, the red paint obscures almost everything except the eye.
In the background, barely visible, are shadowy figures — some appearing to laugh, others almost tormented — representing the silent suffering that can be hidden beneath the surface.
Sometimes we only see what someone allows us to see.
The message behind the image is to look a little deeper, take the time to really see the person, and remember that we may never know what someone is carrying behind their facade.
I am incredibly pleased that an idea that had been in my mind for so long has not only come to life, but has been recognised with an Honour in the National Portrait Salon. ❤️
