I am finally delighted to reveal the subject of my entry to the 2015 BP Portrait Award which has been selected for inclusion in the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Here is my portrait of Bob Geldof.
After meeting Bob Geldof in 2014 at Guilfest, a music festival where the Boom Town Rats were playing, I knew what I wanted to capture in his portrait.
What I felt very strongly about was his strength and his vulnerability. Bob is portrayed as the person rather than as a rock star.
The emptiness next to him represents the losses he experienced through the years.
Loss being an inevitable part of life, I believe most people will be able to relate to the emotions expressed in the painting. The title of the painting is "Fuck Mondays".
The painting will complete the 2015 BP Portrait Award tour, as follows:
London
National Portrait Gallery 18 June to 20 September 2015
Edinburgh
Scottish National Portrait Gallery 10 October to 28 Febuary 2016
Belfast
Ulster Museum March to June 2016