Titled Vampirologist, this self-portrait was predominantly inspired by an iconic image taken by professional photographer Lauren Hicks for a magazine photo-shoot at the turn of the 1990s where I also appeared on the magazine's cover which can be viewed on page 6 of The Vampire Hunter's Handbook (Gothic Press, 1997). I could not resist the addition of a stove-pipe hat. I have been known to wear such a hat in the past, eg at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Pictured above in the monochrome portrait from the 1970s is that very silk topper. Lauren Hicks' image of pensive melancholy appears below. I loosely based my painting's attitude on what she captured in terms of atmosphere; though her photograph was taken just prior to dusk while my painting is set in the dead of night. It was one of a number at the same location used for a feature article on the topic of my work in this field. The Sunday Times magazine also had me on their cover for a similar feature about my life, but this time the sepulchral images were more appropriately nocturnal. Their cover photograph with candles and crucifixes appears at the foot of the page.
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