"Jeremiah Johnson"

8 x 8"

Oil on canvas

I'm not going out of my way to paint portraits of bearded men (honest!), but there is definitely something I like about painting facial hair. Perhaps it's because it helps break up the face a little bit and provide some more variety of tone and texture; or maybe it's just that it seems to add a bit more character. Whatever the reason, the character in this case is Jeremiah Johnson in the film of the same name (released in 1972). I'm hoping there is enough of a likeness that I don't really need to tell you that the part was played by Robert Redford.

I decided to do a sort of monochromatic painting this time, almost like a sepia toned photograph, which seemed to fit with the rustic feel of the film. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, so I'm thinking of doing a few more portraits like this of the other characters in the film.