Portrait of the artist shortlisted in prestigious photography awards
Photographer Andrew Cawley has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Richard Coward Scottish Portrait Award.
Cawley’s photograph of artist John Byrne, taken in the artist’s studio at his home in Edinburgh, was selected by the judges from hundreds of entries. Along with 29 other shortlisted works it will feature in a touring exhibition in Edinburgh and Glasgow later this year with the winner presented with £3,000 in prize money.
Cawley, whose work appears in The Sunday Post, was there to photograph John and wife Jeanine, a theatre designer, for P.S magazine, and said: “Before going into John’s studio, we had a cup of coffee and a mince pie to warm up, while he rolled himself a cigarette.
“John’s studio is essentially a garden shed – and it was pretty cold and dark in there. I consciously didn’t want him standing in the cold for too long so wanted to keep the photos simple and quick.
“I asked John to stand in front of the doorway, where the light would be best on his face. I didn’t want the photos to be too posed and so I didn’t really direct him in terms of position or posture – he seemed to know what I wanted, and just looked straight at me while smoking his cigarette.
“I only took about 15 shots but was happy with what I had captured. This may have been one of the quickest portrait sessions of my career but for me, this definitely was one of my most memorable ones.
“Being given the chance to photograph one of Scotland’s greatest artists was absolutely a career highlight for me. I was delighted to hear I had been shortlisted for the 2022 Scottish Portrait Awards for my photograph of John. It will be an honour to have my work exhibited among the other finalists – but mostly, it was a privilege to have photographed the main man, John Byrne.”
The Scottish Portrait Awards Exhibition 2022 opens on September 10 at the Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh.