Double portrait special but overwhelming, woman says

A woman who was painted twice for a diptych which will be shown at the National Portrait Gallery has said seeing the finished work was "a bit overwhelming".

Artist Peter Davis created two images of Preston's Fahima Patel for his work, Stereo (diptych), which has been chosen to be part of the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award at the London gallery.

Ms Patel said she thought the work was "really special", adding: "Seeing every facial feature painted in so much detail is incredible."

The Birmingham-born artist, who is based in Manchester, said he was "really looking forward" to seeing how people reacted to the work when it went on show in July.

The work will be one of 50 to be shown at the gallery, after being chosen by a judging panel from 1,647 entries from artists in 62 countries.

A gallery representative said the award was "one of the most important platforms for portrait painters" and was now in its 42nd year.

Davis said his work would be making its public debut at the show, which will take place from 11 July to 27 October.

"The public’s interpretation of this two-panel painting is an important part of its narrative, so I’m really looking forward to finding out what people see," he said.

Ms Patel said having her portrait painted once was "really special, but having a painting of you twice, side by side, is a bit overwhelming".

“Seeing every facial feature painted in so much detail is incredible, and I especially love the way he’s done the folds in the hijab fabric," she said.

"It’s also interesting how my different coloured hijabs make me look different, and that’s something I’d never particularly thought about before.”

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