Maurice the Artist

Portrait in Black Hat [Maurice]

December 2022

Acrylic on canvas

18x14 inches 

Self-Portrait / Contemporary Figurative

A direct and intimate self-portrait rendered in layered, expressive brushwork. The black hat, accented with a muted red band, frames a steady gaze while fragmented tones of ochre, rose, and umber articulate the planes of the face.

Rather than photographic realism, the portrait embraces painterly construction — colour becomes structure, and mark-making becomes character. The restrained background allows the psychological presence to dominate, presenting the artist not as subject of vanity, but as observer turned inward.

The work balances vulnerability and authority, capturing the persona of the maker at a specific moment in time. On his 70th Birthday. True to character.