Here’s my portrait of troubled writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917-1976). One of the first books I read in Danish was a collection of her poems in the book ‘Pigesind’. I later read her powerful novel ‘Barndommensgade’ about a girl called Ester growing up in Copenhagen in the 1930’s. My early encounter with this writer when I moved to Denmark in 1984 made an impression on me. It was a ‘challenging joy’ to paint this portrait of her in 2009. The portrait is currently being exhibited in Bristol, England at The Grant Bradley Gallery.