Celebrating one of four artists Anastasia Mironova for winning THE RP PURCHASE PRIZE

Q. How long did your portrait take to make? Is there anything about the process you’d like to share?

I started this portrait very spontaneously, at a time of quiet reflection and transition. I was spending a lot of time at home, often tired, so sitting still and drawing felt like the most natural thing to do.

The initial sketch took a day, and I returned to it over the next couple of weeks, in total, about three or four sittings. I completed the final details the day before my 35th birthday, which made it feel like a quiet way to mark that milestone.

Q. Is there anything about the sitter you’d like to share?

This portrait captures me in a very ordinary, private moment, at home, resting and observing myself without pretense. There’s a sense of stillness and introspection that feels true to that time in my life.

Q. What is your background with portraiture?

I’ve always been fascinated by people –  sometimes to the point of staring. I can sit on the tube and quietly study someone’s face because the light or their bone structure feels so painterly. I trained in classical portraiture and figure drawing at the Repin Art Academy summer school, and that experience deepened my appreciation for observation and construction – something I’ve carried with me to the UK.

Q. Where do you take inspiration from?

I’m endlessly inspired by people around me and by the great masters I admire: Rembrandt, Serov, Schiele, Morisot, among many others. For this particular work, I was thinking a lot about Dürer’s self-portraits: that balance of honesty, stillness, and quiet intensity.

Q. Do you have anything exciting coming up?

I’m looking forward to exploring composition more deeply and moving beyond individual portraits and introducing more figures and a sense of space into my work. And, of course, to keep learning, because that process never really stops. I’m also excited to continue discovering the UK’s incredible culture and history, which have been deeply inspiring.