iCan - a self-portrait as a folk artist

My iCan is a self-portrait in the folk art style; a picture of me in the form of all the things I cherish. It’s a decorated narrowboat watercan in the traditional canal art style, made of galvanised steel and brass, supplied by Black Country Metalworks.

I could’ve chosen many objects to be the substrate of my self-portrait, a teapot, milk churn or coal scuttle perhaps?

I chose the can because the object itself speaks of who I am: rivers, gardening, agriculture, my roots in the Midlands.

Among the things to see on my iCan: Shakespeare’s birthplace, California, a nice cup of tea, my family and other animals.

 

Perhaps my family and friends will more easily understand the references, and that’s OK, it’s my iCan after all.

I simply sprayed it with metal primer, wrote down a list of things that are important to me and got to work with my paint. I’ve enjoyed every brushstroke, even though sometimes painting on a curved surface has sometimes been a challenge.

It’s painted with acrylics topped with three coats of yacht varnish.

Can I paint something similar, personalised to you?

Yes, iCan.