Ishbel Myerscough

Ishbel Myerscough explores youth, coming of age, relationships, and bereavement in meticulously observed figurative portraits and self-portraits. Myerscough first came to attention when she was commissioned to paint portraits of the actress Helen Mirren and singer Sir Willard Wentworth White after she won the National Portrait Gallery in London’s annual BP Portrait Award in 1995. A frequent subject of her other portraits are members of her own family and close friend and fellow artist Chantal Joffe. The blotchy skin, wrinkles, and unkempt hair of Me Aged 50 (2019) illustrate both Myerscough’s meticulous attention to detail and unflinching honesty in documenting her own aging process. Although best known for her portraits, Myerscough also paints still lifes with a focus on domestic subjects.