Sophie Ploeg

Today was the last day of the BP Portrait Award 2014 in London. Boy, has it been an experience for me! Although the show moves on to Sunderland and then Edinburgh I do feel like my year has now truly passed and I am working on new works and new challenges. The BP Travel Award 2013 has given me an amazing year, full of research, travel and painting. I loved being so focussed, intent and busy. It all culminated in the exhibition of my works within the BP Portrait Award 2014 and it looks amazing - I still can’t believe those are my paintings up there. Thank you NPG and BP. Onwards and upwards! The BP Portrait Award 2014 will be back on (with more of my works on display!!) at Sunderland Art Gallery from 4 October. All works are on my website . For an organised list of ALL blog posts that I wrote during the BP Travel Award project (2 years), please  see this page on my blog!

BP Portrait Award 2014 catalogue. National Portrait Gallery 2014. In the BP Portrait Award 2014 catalogue there is a 7-page essay about my work for the Travel Award, written by Richard McClure. It is a lovely honour to have such a substantial part of the catalogue devoted to my work. You can buy the catalogue in all good bookshops, amazon and the National Portrait Gallery shop . BP Portrait Award 2014 Catalogue

The National Portrait Gallery has started selling beautiful prints of some of my BP Travel Award work. You can see them framed and on the wall in their Print Gallery, which is downstairs, next to the book shop. Price £200. They are also available online, just follow this link : Via my website you can buy beautiful small prints. They are 4x6”/10x15cm on heavy quality card, with a red decorative edge. Almost all Lace Trail paintings are available.  They cost £8 each including postage to anywhere in the world. They would make lovely gifts and are perfect for framing. Please order here (just choose which image you like from the drop down menu and pay via paypal) For an organised list of ALL blog posts that I wrote during the BP Travel Award project (2 years), please  see this page on my blog!

The Four Ages of Woman oil on linen 50x60cm each This is a series of 4 paintings in which modern 21st century women at various stages of their lives are portrayed wearing an authentic piece of early 17th century lace, as often seen in 17th century portraits. National Portrait Gallery, London. Until 21 September 2014 and then on tour. For an organised list of ALL blog posts that I wrote during the BP Travel Award project (2 years), please  see this page on my blog!

She Becomes Her Oil on linen 26x40” at the National Portrait Gallery, London until 21 September 2014 This painting was inspired by the works of Robert Peake the Elder (1551 -1619) who painted women in his typical Tudor ‘flat’ style - where there was more attention to dress than to individuality or facial features. In this painting I played with modern ideas about the way women get represented in (2-dimensional) modern media: idealised, flat and unattainable. At the same time there is a real woman behind it all (face mask). I played with 2-dimensionality (writing on the painting) and 3-dimensionality (realism). I created the costume myself, roughly inspired by late Tudor and Jacobean fashion but with modern, antique and vintage materials. A beaded ‘flapper’ cape from the 20s, golden lace from the 19th century, reproduction tudor buttons (that don’t function as buttons) and theatrical make-up. She Becomes Her, oil, 26x40”. Detail I created the costume for this painting...

This is the last painting in the series ‘The Four Ages of Woman’ which shows a woman in four stages of her life, each painted as they are, as truthfully and honestly as I could. Each are wearing an authentic piece of early 17th century lace, shaped in a collar often seen in early 17th century fashion. The lace and the modern women are connected in these paintings. The Pearl Necklace, oil on linen, 50x60cm The Pearl Necklace, oil, 50x60cm. Detail Italian Bobbin lace, around 1620. Used for ‘The Pearl Necklace’ painting I carefully and loosely attached the lace to a simply-made collar. The lace was so delicate I had to be extra careful and after the photo shoot remove the lace and put it away in its storage box, only taking it out once in a while when I was painting. The lace is a bobbin lace, often seen in Dutch and English portraits in the early 17th century and imitates (more expensive) needle lace. It is very fine and ‘spidery’ in character and has a beautiful golden ...

Repeating Patterns, oil on linen, 50x60cm The 3d painting in the series ‘The Four Ages of Woman’ is titled ‘Repeating Patterns'. The model, an artist friend, is wearing a ruff made from 17th century needle lace- inspired by many ruffs seen in 17th century portraits, like in Larkin’s portrait of Anne Clifford at the Portrait Gallery in London. My model is wearing what she wanted to wear and I painted her as honest and truthfully as I could, only adding the lace collar. On show at the BP Portrait Award 2014 , London, until 21 September 2014 A detail of her collar A detail Sophie working on the collar For an organised list of ALL blog posts that I wrote during the BP Travel Award project (2 years), please  see this page on my blog!

at the V&A Museum, Marcus Gheeraerts, portrait of Margaret Laton, 1620 During the hottest weekend of the year so far I searched through London looking for Jacobean portraits (my research is getting more and more focussed on this period) Despite the weather (grateful for air-conditioned museums!!) I have spent a good few days sketching and studying some of the greatest Jacobean portraits London can offer. The greats of Gheeraerts, Peake, Larkin and many 'unknown artists' were my eye candy amongst the crowds of  tourists. I sketched, to the curiosity of many tourists ('ooh you are an artist!' or 'can I take your picture?') in front of these ruffed ladies of court. A lot of these ladies have been identified as wives and daughters of courtiers, dukes and counts. Many of them had their own circle of power and influence. Many other portraits, however, show unknown people. Faces of, no doubt, rich and fairly powerful people, but not so powerful as to have be...