In ‘Bathers, 2024’, I contrast the soft, fluid shapes of submerged body parts with sharp, metallic heads to evoke a fragmented female form, creating a jarring visual of oversized limbs, shiny skin, and predatory teeth. Inspired by the work ‘Gabrielle d'Estrées and One of Her Sisters’ (artist unknown, c.1594), where the sensual gesture of nipple-pinching draws focus, My painting centralises the act of pinching, rendering her subject’s hand with sharper lines to heighten its presence against the softer, surrounding forms.