THE RAINBOW STUDIES
The Rainbow Studies.
Developed around my trip to England for the National Portrait Gallery Portrait Award and finished in my Ontario studio, the series explores the relationship between vivid coloured underpaintings and the personality in the portrait that emerges.
Shop the Rainbow Studies.
Choose your colour. Explore original paintings and prints.
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
The print collection.
Special art prints
Seven portraits. Every colour.
Explore the Rainbow Studies as individual, unframed giclée prints, a set of three, or the complete collection of seven: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Each 4 × 4-inch image is printed on 5 × 5-inch museum-quality cold-press watercolour paper, with a ½-inch white border on all four sides.
Your face. Your colour. Your own little original.
Commission your own mini portrait.
Imagine yourself in colour: your own mini portrait, painted over a vibrant underpainting inspired by The Rainbow Studies. Choose your favourite background colour, or ask me to surprise you with a colour that suits your energy or the photograph you send.
4 × 4 inches: $380 CAD 5 × 7 inches: $395 CAD
Shipping is quoted separately based on location.
Have another commission in mind? Explore information on commissioning here.
Between England and Canada.
I began The Rainbow Studies in April 2026, preparing a series of small, 4 × 4 inch paintings that I could take with me to England for my trip around the National Portrait Gallery Portrait Award. Before leaving, I worked on the underpaintings in my Ontario studio, giving each one a vibrant starting point and its own atmosphere before the portrait began to emerge.
Those layers of colour were both a creative choice and a practical one. I wanted the underpaintings to bring energy and a particular feeling to each face, while also allowing me to travel without my full palette. With so much colour already on the panels, I could take a more compact painting setup with me.
I made a DIY mini palette box and a wet canvas carrier so I could bring the paintings along and work on them while I was away. In June, I continued the portraits in England, building on the colourful foundations I had prepared at home.
After the trip, the paintings came back with me to my Ontario studio. I returned to them later in August and September, bringing the seven portraits to completion. The finished series carries that journey between studio and suitcase, England and Ontario, with the vivid underpaintings still part of the character of each face.
About the works
Each original is painted in oil on linen mounted on a rigid aluminium panel, measuring 4 × 4 inches and 3 mm deep. Paintings are signed, varnished and supplied unframed.
Your painting comes with a certificate of authenticity and is carefully wrapped in protective glassine and securely packaged for its journey to you. A small sticker and paint swatch made using the background colour are included.
Which Rainbow Study are you?
A playful creative quiz inspired by the Rainbow Studies.
View the paintings in progress
