I was lucky enough to hand this commission to its owner the night before the UK Government announced a social lockdown to prevent the spread of the Covid 19 virus.
I usually choose to paint anonymous people whose pictures I find online. There’s no pressure to ensure a total likeness as the audience are unlikely to have seen the original or to know the subject of my painting. Ben McManus is a friend and he’s well known around Staffordshire. I definitely felt more pressure to capture him as others see him. I started with large, messy brushstrokes but it wasn’t working at all, so I swapped to a tighter style and started to enjoy myself more.
This is one of my favourite pieces.