Tommy Shelby

This year, for Yardworks glasgow , I decided to take a different direction. Recently I watched Peaky Blinders, and while looking for references to paint and after not being convinced by the ones I found, Cillian Murphy just came to my mind. His gaze has the confidence, melancholy, and ambiguity I was looking for. His features, with prominent cheekbones, are unique and a challenge to capture.

My characters tend to have similar gazes and expressions: gentle but not docile; reserved; strong; intelligent; and confident, yet with a sense of nostalgia and reflective calm. What I like most about this character is that he is neither a hero nor a villain, just a man bearing the consequences of his decisions.

The letters are another protagonist. I chose the colours before deciding about the character, eager to explore this range of greys and ochres, with more desaturated tones and a few splashes of bright colour around the wall. The blue tag certainly stands out.