"Old Greybeard"

8 x 8"

Oil on stretched canvas

(Contact The Studio gallery, Perthshire)

This was originally intended as another portrait of a film character (the old man from 'A Fistful of Dollars'), but half way through it I stopped using my reference and just let the brushes find their own path. It can be quite gratifying when this happens - when a painting takes on its own life and has a few surprises for the painter. Perhaps for this reason I'm quite fond of this one. I enjoyed the process of discovering this character on the canvas. I don't know who the fellow might be, but I think he would have lots of good stories to tell.

I seem to have spent a lot of time at the easel lately without having much finished work to show for it - thus the slight delay in posting. I have several paintings on the go at once, so all going well I'll have plenty more work to show soon.