Mick Jagger Print

The source material for Mick Jagger was a black and white photograph as well as magazines and the Internet. Working from a photograph, particularly a black and white one, left me to interpret an idea in my own way and use colours from my imagination. I wanted to capture Jagger in his youth; I’m drawn towards young and beautiful subjects who project a certain luminosity, innocence and grace. Individuals from popular culture I admire or feel sentiment for. In my portrait Jagger is shown in his prime at the beginning of his creative genius. Painted in ravishing colours, it’s a totally contemporary portrait and has a futuristic quality emphasized in his all white face with it’s purple blue shadows. I sketched several versions with this ‘Alien’ look and enjoyed exploring creative lighting. The flashes of orange and auburn in his hair contrast and sing out against the purple and blues. His hair is painted with energy and exuberance, against a ravishing dazzle of colours. Leaving the canvas white was a considered decision and gives the painting a very contemporary hip and cool feel. More of a watercolour technique than oil, it feels very light and loose with a freshness as if it had been painted yesterday. Each brush mark of colour is considered and dabbed on lightly making a rythmic pattern of tones. In this portrait the subject is looking straight ahead and his blue eyes become the focal point whilst his expressive pout leaps out of the canvas. The almost central composition of his head almost gives Jagger the quality of an icon. His outward gaze gives a sense of strength and power and a sense of reverence. His expression is solemn and broading and shows his innate sexuality. I started this painting in late March 2020 and finished at the beginning of May in my home studio in Clarendon Park.