Hayley Brown

Studied History of Art at the University of St.Andrews and worked at an art gallery in London before she moved to Florence to study pianting in 2009. After graduating from the Angle Academy of Art in 2012 she
continued to pursue studies in classiclal portraiture at the Charles Cecil Studios and the London Atelier of Representational Art. Hayley has exhibited in both Italy and England and won various awards, including The Premium Art Brands Award for a Young Artist in 2015, which was presented by Princess Michael of Kent. Past exhibitions include Annigoni's Legacy at the Villa Bardini (2011), The Royal Institute of Oil Painters (2013) and The Society of Women Artists (2014, 2015). Further examples of Hayley's work can be viewed online at hayleybrownfineart.com.

Constanta
Oil on canvas 40x35cm
This is Constanta Turcea. She can be found most days sitting on Via de' Guicciardini, the road leading from the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti. Constanta moved to Italy from Romania with her husband a number of years ago after their home was destroyed by a gas explosion. They were hoping to start a new life here. Sadly, Constanta's husband died in 2012, resulting in her own situation becoming nmuch worse. She says she feels degraded begging since she used to have a job as an accountant, but does so because she has no other option: no one will hire her at her age. Ideally, Constanta would like to return to Romania to reconnect with family, however she knows that this is unlikely to happen since she cannot afford the fare or the paperwork required to travel. She carries with her a piece of paper asking that is she is found dead, that she please be taken to the Trespiano Cemetery where her husband, Alesandro, is buried.