Very few of these are done from life. The exceptions are those of his mother and Mavis. He was fascinated by the face and its expressions. These pictures occur sporadically throughout his career. Each face (imaginary or otherwise) shows the sort of experience of life that lies behind it.
A beautiful atmospheric picture portraying Mavis in an antique dress bought in a junk shop. The portrait was originally full length but was later cut down.
The eyes of the young girl are haunting, but the real portrait is of the cat which was my sister's great favourite called Winkie. About this time the cat went missing and we called forlornly for several days.[PB]
Richard loved travelling on the train. He must have noticed this memorable character opposite him and distilled what he could remember when he got home.