When the Coronavirus lockdown was announced, I was flat-sitting for a friend in Clapton. It's just up the road from my flatshare but it's a part of London I haven't spent much time in. Having moved to a new part of the city, my temporary neighbours were now some of the only people I saw in person - on Thursday evenings during the clap for carers, NHS staff and other key workers. It's a diverse and welcoming community, and I wanted an excuse to get to know the other people on my street a little better.
Over the second May bank holiday, I put a little notice through the front doors of some of my neighbours, asking: Can I draw you (from a safe social distance)? Nothing beats sitting one to one with someone and drawing them in person. With the help of Mike and Lyn, a couple who do a lot for the local community and - with Mike being an artist himself - were intrigued by the idea and helped me get the word out, a small number of my neighbours came out at different times to be drawn, from two metres or more away, on the green in front of our terrace.
I asked each neighbour to sit for fifteen minutes, and these are the results.
All proceeds went to domestic abuse charity Refuge, via online donations.