- Patrick Palmer
- All Artworks
- FRANCIS BACON: A Portrait
FRANCIS BACON: A Portrait (2026)Oil painting by Patrick Palmer
29 x 33 x 2cm (unframed) / 40 x 40cm (actual image size)
£1,450
Original artwork description
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” — Leonardo da Vinci
BEHIND THE ART
I’m often asked how a painting comes about — where does it begin, and how does it evolve?
Here is the story behind my portrait of Francis Bacon.
I first started this painting 15 years ago while studying at the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in Dublin. It formed part of my ‘Irish Icons’ series. The original attempt, truthfully, was not strong — but it was always in the corner of my studio, staring at me. Over the years, as my portrait skills developed, I found myself returning to it every so often to rework and refine it.
It’s painted on a scrap piece of MDF — never intended to be a finished artwork — yet sometimes the pieces with the longest history carry the most weight. I’ve now brought it to a point where it feels resolved, and I’m very comfortable with where it has arrived.
Why Francis Bacon?
Beyond his status as an Irish icon, my interest in Bacon is also personal.
I studied for a year under Michael Clark — the only artist to have drawn Bacon from life, and a close friend of his. At the time, I had no idea of Michael’s significance. He lives quite reclusively now, but his work is held in major collections including the British Museum, the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Cathedral, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others.
I own one of Michael’s prints of Bacon, which hangs on my wall at home and which I admire enormously. The tonal range and the deliberate “missing” passages in his work deeply intrigued me, and I sought to echo that quality here — allowing areas to dissolve, rather than over-defining them.
For reference, I worked from a photograph of Bacon, using it as a structural anchor while allowing the painting itself to dictate its own direction.
Materials used:
oil paint
Details:
- Oil painting on Panel / Board / MDF
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 29 x 33 x 2cm (unframed) / 40 x 40cm (actual image size)
- Signed on the front
- Style: Impressionistic
- Subject: People and portraits
Tags:
#francis bacon
Free returns14 day money back guaranteeLearn more
Original artwork description
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” — Leonardo da Vinci
BEHIND THE ART
I’m often asked how a painting comes about — where does it begin, and how does it evolve?
Here is the story behind my portrait of Francis Bacon.
I first started this painting 15 years ago while studying at the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in Dublin. It formed part of my ‘Irish Icons’ series. The original attempt, truthfully, was not strong — but it was always in the corner of my studio, staring at me. Over the years, as my portrait skills developed, I found myself returning to it every so often to rework and refine it.
It’s painted on a scrap piece of MDF — never intended to be a finished artwork — yet sometimes the pieces with the longest history carry the most weight. I’ve now brought it to a point where it feels resolved, and I’m very comfortable with where it has arrived.
Why Francis Bacon?
Beyond his status as an Irish icon, my interest in Bacon is also personal.
I studied for a year under Michael Clark — the only artist to have drawn Bacon from life, and a close friend of his. At the time, I had no idea of Michael’s significance. He lives quite reclusively now, but his work is held in major collections including the British Museum, the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Cathedral, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others.
I own one of Michael’s prints of Bacon, which hangs on my wall at home and which I admire enormously. The tonal range and the deliberate “missing” passages in his work deeply intrigued me, and I sought to echo that quality here — allowing areas to dissolve, rather than over-defining them.
For reference, I worked from a photograph of Bacon, using it as a structural anchor while allowing the painting itself to dictate its own direction.
Materials used:
oil paint
Details:
- Oil painting on Panel / Board / MDF
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 29 x 33 x 2cm (unframed) / 40 x 40cm (actual image size)
- Signed on the front
- Style: Impressionistic
- Subject: People and portraits
Tags:
#francis bacon
Patrick Palmer
United Kingdom
About
I changed career at the age of 40 to follow my lifelong passion. I trained at Heatherleys School of Art and was then taught by Michael Clark, who knew Francis... Read more