C is for Champion

The story behind C is for Champion

I have always tried to reach ever-higher standards of skill with each successive photorealist painting. And with this painting – C is for champion – there is the obvious homage to the great driver and his car, but there is also a metaphor to be made. That is that I am a champion – a champion painter. This particular work is an example of the success of building those painting skills over many years. Incredibly detailed, the depiction of ‘the surface of things’ in this painting is remarkable. Before painting could begin, many of the elements had to be drawn in – this stage alone took around a hundred hours. It then took several years and over 700 hours to complete.

This beautiful Jaguar C-type was photographed in front of Tony Rolt’s home, and Adrian Hamilton owns the car. Sadly Tony Rolt passed away during the process of painting this. Tony Rolt with Duncan Hamilton, made this particular car one of the most famous Jaguars of all time by winning Le Mans in 1953. Tony achieved much in his life, he was a soldier in the second world war, and later went on to have a huge part in British motor racing both as a driver and was among the unsung backroom heroes of British racing development.

Here’s a link to Tony Rolt’s wikipedia page.