This is a painting of British actress and humanitarian, Keira Knightley OBE. Her stage and screen work has earned her a multitude of awards and prestigious nominations in recognition of her versatile dramatic talents. In the first twenty years of her career she has been nominated for two Academy Awards for best actress, three Golden Globe Awards, three British Independent Film Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed an OBE in recognition of her services to drama and charity. I've chosen to paint the actress in a classical portrait composition with softly lit background in autumnal colours. She is lit from the right of the composition and is turned over her right shoulder toward the viewer. My intention was to create an aesthetically pleasing composition capturing drama, determination and beauty.