Georgina Westley Painting Noor Inayat Khan

Painting Resilience - My Portrait of Noor Inayat Khan

Exciting news. My painting of Noor Inayat Khan has been accepted into the Touchlines of Fortitude II group exhibition. It's an honour to be part of a show that celebrates female resilience and I can’t wait to see all the other incredible artworks on display. 

If you're in or around the Twickenham (TW11) area feel free to pop in and take a look.

Exhibition Details:

Painting of Noor Inayat Khan by Georgina Westley against a backdrop of her smaller series of works Snapshots

The Story Of My 2.5hr Painting

I should say upfront that I actually had 15 days' notice for the open call. But we all know what that means in reality: it means I forgot about it.

The link to the open call first appeared in one of Karen Turner's inspiring newsletters. She wrote, 

'if female strength, creativity, and empowerment are in any way part of your practice, I really think you should apply.'

I know that it was sent to thousands of people but I took it personally and resolved to enter. Until, of course, I forgot.

However, sitting in the car on a day out with the children, I remembered. The submission was due that very day.

Georgina Westley sitting in car

My internal dialogue was a whirlwind of self-doubt. 'You’ve left it too late. It won't be good enough. You'll just waste another evening on something you'll end up painting over. You should be cooking dinner really.' But a small, persistent voice, amplified by my daughter's encouragement, 'just do it, Mum, that’s what you’d say to me', reminded me that the very act of pushing through was an exercise in resilience itself. In some small way the exhibition's theme was already playing out in my studio.

I began brainstorming, my mind jumping from landscapes (mother nature) to the moon (feminine energy) when a connection clicked. We Landed By Moonlight. SOE. WWII. The Resistance. That’s it. I'll paint one of my heroes, Noor Inayat Khan.

Who is Noor Inayat Khan?

Noor Inayat Khan Georgina Westley blog

Noor was a World War II British resistance agent who served in the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Born in Moscow to an Indian Sufi teacher and an American mother, Noor Inayat Khan was a lifelong pacifist. Yet, she chose to parachute alone into occupied France on a moonlit night to join the resistance. Her story is the epitome of female resilience. I've been captivated by her story for years, having read many books about her and even seen a play inspired by her life. I've painted her before and I know her face, her spirit. What better subject for an open call celebrating female resilience than a woman who:

  1. Defied her beliefs for a greater cause. A lifelong pacifist, Noor made the courageous choice to join the resistance and fight against Nazi tyranny.
  2. Refused to abandon her post. As the last remaining radio operator in Paris, she stayed and continued her vital work despite immense personal danger.
  3. Withstood brutal torture. Captured by the Gestapo, Noor was tortured and held in chains, yet she never gave up any secrets.

My hope is that this painting will intrigue people, making them want to step a little closer and find out who she is. I would love the portrait to act as a doorway, inviting people to discover her incredible story of resilience and courage for themselves. Her legacy deserves to be remembered and celebrated.

My Studio Process - Trusting Instinct

How do you create a painting in just over two hours? My background as a graphic designer meant I was already used to working to agreed briefs and tight deadlines which was a huge advantage. You have to get into a flow state almost immediately and make some hard and fast decisions from the get-go. For me, that meant setting a strict rule: a very limited palette. I knew I needed to be economical with every brushstroke and colour choice.

Progress shots of Georgina Westley painting Noor Inayat Khan

I wanted contrasting colour temperatures to tell the story of light and shadow, cools for the shadows and warm tones for the highlights. Blue was the obvious choice for the shadows, but for the highlights, I chose yellow ochre and burnt sienna. This was a deliberate choice to honour Noor's Indian heritage. The warm, deep yellow-brown offers a beautiful complementary feeling and the limited palette ties in perfectly with her clandestine operations in the shadows. My painting reference was black and white, so once I’d chosen my two colours the rest was about studying the values. This was tricky as the photo was grainy, but I could use my knowledge of human anatomy and past portraits to fill in the gaps.

Once I started, I was so absorbed that I didn't manage to take many process photos. I just laid down mark after mark, trusting my instincts. There was no time to redo anything; I simply went with it. The marks in the background signify radio signals, with all the brushstrokes coming together to form her image in the same way her coded wireless messages would have been received over the airways from occupied France to the UK.

My mindset was clear: this is the best I can do, on this night (started it at 7.30pm), in this timeframe. It will either be good enough or it won't. It turns out on this occasion it was. But there will be times in the future when it won't be, and that's ok too. 

Painting of Noor Inayat Khan by Georgina Westley

Find Out More about Noor and the Women of the SOE

If your interest is piqued, there are some fantastic resources out there.

Books:

Blog Posts and Articles:

  • My own blog post about RAF Tempsford, the now-empty airfield where Noor and so many other agents took off from. Standing there, just a few miles from my home, is where my connection to her story truly began.
  • RAF Tempsford Museum & Archives: This is a great resource for learning more about the airfield's secret history.
  • The Tempsford Memorial on Wikipedia: A powerful page that lists the names of the 75 women agents commemorated there.

Exhibition Thank You's

A huge thank you to the organisers of Touchlines of Fortitude, Agnieszka Lokaj, and the sponsors for this incredible opportunity.

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