Bradshaw Portrait
 

I know we don't usually include celebrity portraits here, but I thought I'd throw this up for critiques since I haven't posted anything here in a while.

Living in Pittsburgh, Terry Bradshaw is nearly a god around here, making this a rather easy item to sell. A local gallery already told me they could likely get around $2000 for it, so that makes me rather happy. I have a show in July and one in August and then I'll be sending it off to sell.

Anyhow, back to the portrait. It is a 24x30, oil on canvas. I kept it tightly detailed in the face and then just roughed in the rest of it, almost letting it disappear. My questions for the critiquers is; does the composition work? Are the letters at the bottom just a distraction? How do you like the rendering of the face as far as color, depth and likeness are concerned?

Thanks in advance for all comments.

Close-up
 

Here is a close-up of just the face.

Bradshaw portrait
 

Brian, I like it. You've done a very good job. The composition seems to hold up since the name at the bottom forms a triangle with the helmet... a composition that is stable. There is also the inverted triangle with the shoulder pads directed downward enclosing the numbers, a compositional element that I believe imparts a bit of mystery. It is a bit different seeing Bradshaw with such a look since he is a bit of a cut up and clowns around a lot. This gives me the idea that the team is losing again with him on the sidelines with that look on his face. I would imagine that the portrait would be accepted more if he was smiling. At least, it would not be bringing back bad memories of games lost. Good job.