Labour Of Love
By Michael Youds
© Michael Youds
Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Youds gained a degree in fne art from Lancaster University before moving to Edinburgh in 2006. His work has been selected for exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. In 2019, he won frst prize in the Scottish Portrait Awards for a painting of him and his twin brother David, who is also an artist.
The portrait is of Tommy Robertson, the owner of an independent music store in Edinburgh. Youds would frequently walk past the store and decided to ask if Robinson would sit for a portrait. The artist spent an hour taking dozens of photographs while Robertson set up the shop, posing with various props. The portrait took ten months to complete from underdrawing to completed oils, while the title refers to the UB40 album cover in a corner of the painting.
