12” x 16” oil on wood panel, 2024.

I had been wanting to do a painting that had tattooed hands as the focal point for quite a while, but I kept focusing on other projects because I had not found the right reference image.  I then randomly came across a picture that would make a killer reference so I put it on my desktop as a reminder. 

While the reference was quite clear, I knew that I wanted to blur the background and arms a bit so it would look like someone quickly showing the viewer their hands and naturally make the lettering the focal point. I let the painting sit to dry a couple of weeks ago thinking that I was going to do more work on it, but after it dried, I realized it was perfect in its current state.