Acrylic on MDF board. 90x132cm. Completed 5th August 2009.

Painted as a homage to the greatest painter of photorealism, Richard Estes, this features an Aston Martin painted in front of the cityscape of Houston. The drawing was very time consuming, and then, the painting of the image wasn’t too much of a problem. This piece was chosen mainly because it was a very difficult work, visually stunning, and intended as a homage to the American artist who’s work who inspired me. Taken from Autocar magazine (18th April 2001) it features the new Aston Martin Vanquish, the car was designed as the flagship by its new owners Ford and represents a stunning mastery of all that represents the quintessential design hallmarks that set this marquee apart. The car was driven before it’s release by a journalist across the USA and photographed against an incredible backdrop of the city.

The two page spread had to be scanned into the computer before being joined, then the text removed. Buildings like this were a time consuming challenge and took 150+ hours just to draw! All up 556 hours was invested in the work before it was shown at the local library. The windows were one of the most difficult passages I’d undertaken and the gravel car park wasn’t far behind in getting it to look just right. The car by contrast was very easy. Upon completion it was rather ironic that it was to be a Vanquish in the picture as I felt I had truly conquered the mastery of my technique.