Red Sky in the Morning...

This is a small painting (14" x 18" on linen canvas) of John Sheppard, the notorious eighteenth century criminal. He sits awaiting his execution - but is still obviously thinking of an escape route. It is based on a 1728 mezzotint engraving by George White, which itself was based on a portrait by Sir James Thornhill (no longer extant). Louise, a good friend of mine at the English school, and an avid "Jack" Sheppard fan, commissioned me to paint it.

Sheppard is one of many colourful characters from London's rich history. He was a thief famous as much for his prison-breaks as for his crimes, and managed to escape from the authorities four times: twice by climbing down from the window of his cell with a rope made of bed-clothes, once by cross-dressing, and finally by picking his handcuffs with a broken ring from his leg chains. After his fifth arrest he was placed in the centre of Newgate Gaol under constant supervision, and bound with three hundred pounds of iron. A final attempt to escape, on his way to the gallows at Tyburn, was foiled at the last minute when he a knife was found in his pocket.

Jack's exploits were reported in pamphlets and celebrated in song, making him a popular celebrity. Such was his fame that Sir James Thornhill - Court Painter to George I (!) - sketched him in his cell, and 200,000 people attended his final procession to Tyburn on 16th November 1724.

This is the drawing attributed to Sir James - now in the National Portrait Gallery, London - but the painting made subsequently has not survived. Below is the mezzotint engraving by George White , made four years later, on which my version is based.

My version is an almost exact replica of the engraving, though I did not faithfully copy the face, which to me barely seems human. Working from a black and white image, and wanting to make it feel as authentic as possible, I referred to works by the great William Hogarth for colour. Hogarth was an obvious point of reference since he was not only a pupil of Sir James Thornhill's - the original artist - but also his son-in-law.