"Joe"

8 x 8"

Oil on stretched canvas

(sold)

"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'..."

This is the 24th painting I've done since starting the Painting Mhor blog back in June. If I had to choose a favourite of those 24 then this would be it - not quite the portrait with no name, because The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood's character from the 1964 film A Fistful Of Dollars) was in fact credited with one - Joe. He was a man of few words but his words were usually pretty memorable!

I liked how this painting turned out. It feels more like how I've always wanted to paint but usually haven't quite managed to. I was determined to stay focused with it, to make my brushstrokes fewer, bolder and more deliberate. I didn't want to fuss with details or start blending the paint too much. I wanted to be able to choose a colour, apply it and move on to another bit of canvas as much as possible. I also limited my pallete to just three paints: Titanium White, Lamp Black and Indian Red. Even with just those three colours it's amazing the range of greys, browns, pinks and reds you can get.

So...

...this painting is for sale...Ok, ok, for anyone who's just burst out laughing, can I refer you to the Eastwood quote at the top of the page? ;-). When I first started my blog I didn't give any thought to selling my paintings. I knew that I might get round to trying - eventually - but it wasn't a priority. And it still isn't a priority I suppose, in that painting doesn't paying the bills (at least, not yet). Presumably like a lots of artists, however, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't give up the day job in an instant if it meant being able to paint for a living. Whether that dream could ever become a reality is another thing entirely of course, but who knows. There's no harm in trying, right?

At the very least I hope I did make you laugh, even though my mule doesn't like it. ;-)