We are delighted to celebrate Sue Eva, who has been awarded the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize in this year’s prestigious Lester Prize for portraiture.

Her winning work, Sue’s space (2025, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 54 cm), is a quietly powerful painting that draws the viewer into an intimate world of reflection and layered meaning.

The judges — Dr Christopher Allen, Professor Susanna Castleden and Margaret Moore — praised Sue’s work, noting:

“A quiet but enigmatic picture in which a technically accomplished painting of a silver teapot, perhaps a family heirloom, turns out to contain many other layers: not only a subtle and suggestive self-portrait by the artist – part of a long tradition of self-portraits in convex mirrors – but multiple portraits, truncated and upside-down. An emerging artist is by definition one that has not yet shown all that he or she can do, and we look forward to seeing what comes next for Sue Eva.”

This is an incredible recognition of Sue’s talent and dedication, and we could not be prouder to see her work receive such acclaim.

We look forward with great excitement to following Sue’s artistic journey and celebrating the many creative achievements that are sure to come.

To see more of Sue Eva's emotive and exquisite paintings, click on the link below.