“For many years I’ve had a weekly practice of painting or drawing the figure from life. The habit is important because the figure is the most challenging subject there is. There’s an endless amount to learn and observe — and it’s always exciting and frustrating. In this painting, I was inspired by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ studies of parts of the figure. He made these studies to help him create larger, finished pieces, but to me the studies are so meaningful. I wanted to pay homage to him, and to the historical practice of studying the figure. Plus, hands and feet are famously hard and I needed the practice.” - Sarah