slightly glam skull - magenta‚ cadmium red‚ a touch of ultramarine and violet‚ against an impasto background of a dark blue/charcoal grey.

The skull was painted from observations of a replica human skull. I wanted to use the skull to ground the painting in reality‚ but have still used artistic license. I found that‚ when painting from reality‚ there is a contest between the imagination and the observation‚ and the finished painting is a compromise.

The brushwork is quite bold and the paint is quite thick in places.

The name 'Bernie' was chosen by artist Philippa Montier. The title refers to the macabre slapstick comedy from the 1980s.