Acrylic Paint on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

Signed on the front.

This painting has had two lives. The initial image was a more traditional portrait of a local young artist, a slightly shy, happy guy who surfs and also makes extraordinary art, including self portraits. My portrait of him became a finalist in the inaugural Southern Buoy Portrait Prize.
Over the last year I painted further, abstracting and hiding the image somewhat, imagining him into a different character, but still connected to oceans in some way. I quite often paint headwear or big hair in my paintings as I love the interest and character this creates, and in this case I wanted a counterpoint to the gentle expression. Hence the suggestion of a Viking helmet.
The work has multiple layers of acrylic paint, some semi obscuring the face, as through dream or memory.
To me, this is a fun painting that would lift the mood of any room. The face is engaging and invites curiosity.