Mabel & Maude

This gentle portrait opens the door into the imagination of Shazia and her unique ability to capture the people she has known throughout her life. Inspired by a memory on her first day of school, ‘Maude and Mable’ portrays a pair of twins on a winter day. The artist immortalised the sisters to the smallest details including the blue gloves, as the artist explains “Just before the snow fell and turned everything opaque, I managed to snatch a memory of them sharing a pair of elbow length blue gloves.”.

Characteristic of Shazia’s style, the eyes are a focal point. In their bright blue eyes, there’s a glimmer of something unsaid, a story untold.

'They talk with their eyes and to nobody else'.

With their cascading blonde hair, the twins have an ethereal presence and delicate features, making the artwork feel mysterious yet innocent upon the dark background. This contrast is created using an artistic technique called chiaroscuro, which creates pronounced distinction between areas of light and dark within a composition. This technique can be widely seen in the Renaissance and Baroque movements.

This artwork is a hand-signed giclée on canvas board and can be purchased in a framed set.

Find out more about this collection here or shop more Shazia's art here.