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The fabulous painting of Dave by Pierre Antis is finished and Pierre brought it down for us to have a good look at on Friday afternoon. I've got to say that it is awesome!

Pierre spent eight months working on the piece, which incorporates real gold, genuine diamonds and bits of Dave.

Dave supplied the diamonds that are seen in his ear stud and bracelet and some of his blood was mixed with the paint and hairs shaved from his fore-arm and embedded in the hands to DNA match the painting to the man himself.

The overall impression is one of an iconic avenging angel who has a very clear purpose in mind. In fact, if I thought that the face looking out was actually looking at me I would be doing some serious self-defecating (and I do mean serious!)

The face is something of an enigma in its own right. The halo that surrounds the head literally glows. There is a great deal of detail that has gone into the three dimensional aspect, which you will see in the enlarged picture (click on the image to the right). Pierre built up the relief detail using a technique of building up many layers and the overall effect is to give the painting the quality of an old religious icon.

But the modern realism and detail of the face stands it apart and it is the face that we can see an ambiguity which can be quite perplexing until we look into the detail. If you look at the images below you will see exactly what I mean.


There is something intense and deeply penetrating about the eyes ......	... but there is something mischievous in the subtle smile.

The hands are a minor masterpiece (I was never very good at hands when I used to paint). The bracelet took Pierre two weeks to construct from plaster, and is gold leaved with genuine diamonds in it.

Dave shows his appreciation to Pierre in his own inimitable style. Dave and his good friend, kickboxing champion Ish, demonstrate the scale of the portrait.

This is one SERIOUS piece of art and I have no doubt whatsoever that people will be queuing at Pierre's door soon to have their own portraits painted.