Meghan Parnell

I’ve been feeling portrait withdrawal symptoms, so I’m back to what I enjoy most today. This is Meghan Parnell, vocalist in Bywater Call. According to their website, they’re “a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada”. They are amazing. I’ve seen them live twice and will be seeing them again in 2027. Their live album Sunshine is playing pretty well non stop in my studio right now (please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases but this costs absolutely nothing extra to you). To see the band in action, click here.

Anyway, on to the painting. This is a posterised painting using the Shire scheme and following my usual process. I thought about going for the amber scheme to portray the energy on a Bywater Call performance but talked myself out of it on the grounds that my value plan didn’t have enough darks in it for the amber scheme to be able to work: I thought the amber scheme might look a bit acidic and sickly for the painting I had in mind.

It was quite a challenge, this one, with the value plan being quite detailed and complicated. It’s also the first time I’ve ever painted someone with tattoos.

I’m kind of happy with the final painting. There’s a likeness of sorts, enough for it to be unmistakably Meghan. And her energy is coming through loud and clear. The one thing I’m uncomfortable with is that there are so many thin dark shapes along Meghan’s edges and that they look like very thick edges. Still, this is worth putting up for sale, not that many people will know who this is. The price can be found here.