John Brown Portrait

Description

John Brown Portrait

I recently found the work of artist Thomas Little aka A Rural Pen, who makes writing ink from dissolved guns, and was instantly in love. I knew I had to grab a bottle, and to kick off using this gorgeous grey-purple, I did portraits of three people whose work I also admire. John Brown was an American abolitionist most famous for his final raid on Harper’s Ferry, not far from where I currently live. He fought fearlessly and tirelessly for the abolition of slavery in the US, and his writings, particularly his last letters from prison, are profoundly affecting.

4×6″ gun ink on paper