Portrait of Dr Sam Naghibi

This portrait depicts a local scientist and a local scene. It shows the view from my previous residence on the cusp of Everton at The Collegiate: a historic former all-boys grammar school, designed by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, the architect of St George’s Hall.

It was renovated into apartments by Urban Splash and ShedKM in 1998. The pink Woolton sandstone window frames, casting shadows on the carpet, are original fixtures of this Grade II listed building.

The areas contained in the background, spread out towards the waterfront, hold personal significance both to myself and to the portrait’s subject, Dr Sam Naghibi. His own flat can be seen far off, as can one of his previous labs.

Notably, during my master’s Degree, I worked as a Study Assistant at Hope University. Between students’ lessons, I would sit in the garden grounds visible behind Sam to write and to draw, often sketching details of the very buildings I would, years later, live opposite and paint in depth.