Here's a large painting that I finished earlier this year. Professor Richard Ross and his family sat both as a group and as individuals. These family portraits are a fantastic thing to do. Here is a record of five people and a dog, their house, an imagined view of Derbyshire including Winn Hill in the Peak District and Richard's allotment and bee hives. I hope it will outlive us all. It's painted in very traditional oil paint on canvas, with egg tempera to make the tones subtle and washes of varnished colour to enrich the hues.

This was a bonding experience. I got to know all the sitters over many sittings each and together. It was a joint family effort and has resulted in a lasting record of the greatest institution we ever belong to. We need to celebrate the family more, we all move on, rush about and travel the world and we need this sort of bonding, timeless record. I believe in my product!

You can see the finished canvas in my studio. Othello, the black dog on the floor, is a pretty big chap, which gives an idea of the size of the picture.

Here are some studies that I made of the two boys as individuals, before assembling the whole.