Roland Wallis has worked for years as a traditional portrait painter, carrying out commissions in Scotland, London and Sussex.

Now settled in Brighton, Wallis decided to develop a personal side to his artwork.

"I started by doing what I know best and asked a group of friends to sit for me. Through these sittings, new ideas and approaches to painting soon began to surface. Initially I wanted to paint a reclaimed Garden of Eden, a garden where all prejudice and religious fundamentalism would be kept out.

"As a gay man, this topic soon started to throw up anger and fears."

The conflicts that arose related in part to his mixed-race ancestry, to confusion over family identity and to assumptions of gender bias.

Wallis decided to confront these issues and reflect on the people he was painting in a new light.

In the pictures, the figures take on different symbolic roles, such as a protector or a representative of acceptance.

In Kickboxer, Wallis' close friend Helen is painted wearing her kickboxing gloves against a red background, though the portrayal is devoid of any aggression.

The image is more about dignity and has a stillness that contrasts starkly with assumptions about potentially violent sports.

"She's not looking for aggression, it's a much nobler image than many of male aggression," says Wallis.