‘Baggy Trousers’ is a portrait of my son. Portraits of my son often show him playing the
fool; this is his coping mechanism and how he likes to play for the camera.
I titled the piece after the Madness song, which evokes a nostalgic romp through the high
jinks of heady school years. His missing front tooth places the narrative of this piece
firmly in that of a primary school-aged kid.

The starting point for the drawing is a transcription of my son's school report; it felt a bit
‘rebellious’ to steal his teacher's words in this way, but such is the nature of the piece!
Like many, I find myself with a clever, imaginative, energetic and social kid who can tell
you a thousand facts, but struggles to focus in the confines of a classroom. I don’t know
how to solve this problem, so like a school kid, I’ve made a funny drawing as a
distraction.

Both of my children have an ADHD diagnosis, at the time of creating this piece, they did
not. The process for getting them the help they needed was long, frustrating and at times
felt like a joke. Whilst there is a lot of anger behind the piece, I hope it offers some comic
relief to others who find themselves ‘in the system’.

This piece is a part of the 2026 International Women's Day Exhibition 'Her Voice: Stories of Strength & Identity'.