“I’ve always loved fashion but I have never seen myself as a fashion illustrator,” Downie told Quartz, “because [my paintings] are portraits.” And yet fashion plays a big role in her paintings. Whether portraying the models of big fashion houses or regular people, clothes and fabrics are central—the representation of colors, patterns, and textures is an mark of Downie’s style.

Downie generally completes one painting a day. “I can’t sleep very well until they’re done,” she told Quartz.

At 50, Downie  sees her newfound passion as the proof that life keeps happening at any age, and says doesn’t really think about the time she might have lost. “When I started painting, I felt very angry,” she told Quartz, “I felt I would never catch up.”

It’s wasn’t true. ”The more I paint, the better they get,” she says.

Below are some of Downie’s paintings, including a selection from her Shanghai exhibition with Gucci:

Constance, Grace and Hope (for Gucci)
Constance, Grace and Hope (for Gucci)
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Anne (for Gucci)
Anne (for Gucci)
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Stella and Monty (for Gucci)
Stella and Monty (for Gucci)
The Code Keeper
The Code Keeper
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
The Guest
The Guest
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Siblings
Siblings
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Berlin Man
Berlin Man
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Brothers
Brothers
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Isabel
Isabel
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Painting for the cover of Business of Fashion
Painting for the cover of Business of Fashion
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
The Wedding
The Wedding
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Leith and Astrid
Leith and Astrid
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Anya’s dreaming
Anya’s dreaming
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
Cousin Mandy
Cousin Mandy
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie
The Revisit
The Revisit
Image: Photo courtesy of Helen Downie

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