The Turban Series

The Turban Series began as an exploration of elegance, mystery, and the sculptural beauty of fabric. A turban has a remarkable ability to transform a portrait: it frames the face, adds structure, and introduces a sense of timelessness that feels both classical and contemporary.

What drew me in was the way light interacts with the folds of cloth, soft curves, sharp edges, deep shadows, and luminous highlights. Much like drapery studies of the Old Masters, these turbans become landscapes of fabric, allowing me to play with form, colour, and chiaroscuro in a focused, intimate way.

Each painting in the series has its own mood. The turban becomes a kind of crown, a symbol, or even a mask, shifting the presence of the figure beneath it. The simplicity of the composition invites attention to the subtle transitions of light on skin, the sheen of fabric, and the quiet tension between concealment and revelation.

For me, these works are portraits of character, expressive not through facial features alone, but through the architecture of cloth and the atmosphere created by light.