Mickey Blue (2020) Original Oil Painting by Mark Armstrong

In Mickey Blue, one of rock music’s most recognisable faces is stripped back to something quieter and more introspective. Rather than celebrating the swagger and spectacle synonymous with Mick Jagger, the painting lingers on a fleeting moment of contemplation, revealing a more human side beneath the mythology.

Rendered in cool blue-grey tones against a pale turquoise ground, the portrait balances expressive brushwork with subtle observation. The restrained palette creates a sense of emotional distance, while the direct gaze draws the viewer into an encounter that feels both familiar and unexpectedly intimate. The contrast between the subject’s iconic status and the painting’s understated mood invites reflection on the space between public persona and private identity.

Part of an ongoing exploration of figures shaped by music, film and popular culture, Mickey Blue is less about celebrity than memory—how cultural icons become woven into our own lives and imaginations. It asks us to look again, beyond recognition, and discover something quieter beneath the legend.

Materials used:

Oil paint on paper

Details:

• Oil painting on Paper
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 21 x 29.7cm (unframed) / 21 x 29.7cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: People and portraits