Mark Ormrod, oil on canvas, 863⁄4x391⁄2in (220x100cm), WARpaint project.
‘Mark was injured in Afghanistan and was the first triple amputee. He now owns his own gym. I focused on showing his strength and ability to achieve the almost impossible. For the stark background I used masking tape to create clean, straight lines, and a cool palette of ivory black and cremnitz white. I painted Mark using earth colours and Mars black, which is warmer in tone than ivory black – this projected his prosthetic legs forward. I enjoyed painting the blocks of light on his hair and the reflected cerulean blue on his skin and the weights.’
IN CONVERSATION