Project 13 is about what it’s like to be thirteen when there are no filters.

Thirteen-Year-Old, Rowan Briggs Smith, paints 13 watercolour portraits of her friends, whilst they are thirteen.

Most thirteen-year-olds love taking selfies. They enjoy the control of how they might look, and they have fun with filters. They then put a version of themselves out there for others to see.

But young artist, Rowan Briggs Smith, wanted to try and capture a more honest portrayal of her friends, by painting their portraits with watercolour.

Instead of using Instagram to take and share more selfies, Rowan used social media to invite her followers and friends on Instagram to be part of the project. She asked them either to send a photograph that they had taken themselves, without filters, or to meet her at lunchtime at their school, so that she could take their photograph herself.

She then chose thirteen of the photographs which she thought revealed a true sense of the teenager’s personality and painted their portrait in her studio at home.

'I wanted to try to show everyone what its really like to be a teenager, not just the side we decide to let people see. Building up the layers of watercolour helps me discover and reveal the layers of personality.'

The thirteen finished portraits will be exhibited at the MichaelHouse Centre, Trinity Street, Cambridge, in 2019.

'None of the teenagers involved have seen their portraits yet; they will be revealed on the opening night of the exhibition. It is going to be fascinating to see what each of them will make of their portrait!'

Rowan Briggs Smith is in Year 9 at a secondary school in Cambridgeshire. She devised Project 13 as a way of giving focus to her love of portraiture.

Project 13 Opening Night – Monday 18th February 2019, 6:30 – 8:30 pm Exhibition Continues – Monday 18th February – Saturday 3rd March 2019 MichaelHouse Centre, Trinity Street, Cambridge.

Discover more about Rowan on her website, rowanbriggssmith.co.uk