A figure sits with knees drawn up and one hand at her cheek, framed by a great dark cloud of hair. The face is stylised almost to a mask — long dark eyes, a still expression. Everything around her is scraped and layered in greys, ochres and rust, so the pale figure seems lit from inside.

Signed and dated 1967, this is the most purely of-its-moment work in the archive — the year, the palette and the elongation all sit exactly where they should.

It also shows a side of my grandfather the jazz portraits and the birds don’t. Dave Coleman could paint the human figure seriously, and did.

• Print size: 12 × 16 inches
• Original: Painted by Dave Coleman, signed and dated 1967
• Archival giclée on fine art paper

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