Smoky Joe - Original Blue Skull Watercolour Painting - Gothic Wall Art

Smoky Joe was the first skull I ever painted, but my love of skulls goes back much further. When I began my painting journey, it felt natural that one would eventually find its way onto the page. Smoky Joe brings together things I've loved for a long time: bones, dark aesthetics and vivid colour. Cerulean blue washes across the skull and dissolves into clouds of charcoal-grey and black, with two tiny points of brilliant blue glowing from the eye sockets. INSPIRATION Those blue eyes contain a small nod to one of my favourite fictional characters: Death from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Smoky Joe isn't a depiction of Death, but the character's extraordinary blue eye-glow provided a little aesthetic inspiration. As one of my earlier paintings, Smoky Joe has a particularly special place in my collection. Looking back at him now, I can see some of the visual ingredients that have continued to appear throughout my work: skulls and bones, beautiful-but-macabre imagery, deep shadows and unexpectedly vivid colour. AT A GLANCE Original, one-of-a-kind artwork 14.6 by 19.7 cm Watercolour Cream-coloured watercolour paper Sold unframed COLOUR PALETTE Cerulean and bright sky blue, smoky charcoal, soft grey and black against warm cream paper, finished with tiny points of electric blue. FRAMING Sold unframed, ready for you to choose a frame that suits your space. CONDITION AND CARE The finished artwork will be protected with Dorland's Wax Medium before dispatch. The display suggestion in the final image is a digital mock-up for display and scale reference. Designed and painted by Ember Cant in Retford, Nottinghamshire, UK.