"Manco"

8 x 8"

Oil on stretched canvas

(sold)

I think there are some faces I could never get tired of painting. Clint Eastwood has to be one of them, especially his western characters. Having done a portrait of 'Joe' from the first 'Dollars' film I decided to do another one, this time as his incarnation as Manco from A Few Dollars More where. I'm sure it won't be very long before I have the urge to complete the trio.

I'm really pleased with this portrait. It's probably my favourite so far. It was done relatively quickly, mostly in one sitting, which is something else it shares with my last painting of Clint. I sometimes find that if I spend too long on a painting, if I get too fussy with it, if it becomes too painstaking, too laboured, then whole thing gets in danger of losing it's energy. By working more quickly, with fewer, more confident and 'chunkier' brushstrokes I seem to be better able to harness that energy and keep it on the canvas. The end result is a painting that is much more captivating. At least, I think so...