During the 1880s, James Ensor often spent time in his home town of Ostend in the company of Alfred William Finch, who, like Ensor, was of British origin and had grown up in the seaside resort. Their work from this period, shortly after both young artists had left the Brussels academy, is very similar in style and technique. The many drawn and painted portraits they produced of each other bear witness to their close friendship. Willy Finch in the studio is an expressive realistic portrait, quickly executed in heavy, tachy paint. Ensor here used the palette knife to accentuate the pasty paint matter and to allow the underlying paint layer to play a pictorial role in scraped-off sections. Through the subtle play of light, Ensor was able to elaborate the physiognomy of his friend in a recognisable way. The Museum of Fine Arts Ghent also owns a pencil drawing by Ensor of the portrait of Finch from 1883.