Mirror (2023)

Mirror (2023) is a study of reflection and quiet recognition. Combining painterly intimacy with Baroque-inspired light, Georgina M. Cox explores the fragile space between self-perception and self-acceptance, where the act of looking becomes both confrontation and comfort.

⤷ When I painted Mirror, I wanted to capture the stillness of being alone with your own image. It isn’t about vanity or performance; it’s about the ordinary act of seeing yourself and recognising something deeper beneath it.

The figure sits before a mirror in soft morning light, unposed and thoughtful. The reflection is blurred and imperfect, suggesting how our sense of self shifts depending on how we look at it. I wanted the moment to feel half-remembered, as if the viewer has stumbled into a private pause between thoughts.

A small black cat sits nearby, watching quietly. Its presence anchors the composition in everyday domesticity but also introduces a subtle tension. The cat becomes a second observer, sharing the gaze of the viewer and reflecting how often we are seen without realising it.

Light is central to the work. The glow is soft and diffused, illuminating the skin unevenly, as though the subject is only partly revealed to herself. Rather than dramatic contrasts, the light breathes gently across the surface, creating intimacy rather than spectacle.

Thematically, Mirror explores solitude, vulnerability, and the emotional distance between how we see ourselves and how we feel. The muted palette and painterly texture suggest both warmth and melancholy, echoing the quiet effort of self-understanding.

Ultimately, the painting is about presence — about learning to exist in your own reflection without needing to perfect it.