A Portrait of Amy Winehouse - More than just drink, drugs and bad skin- Britain best female artist

I painted this image of Amy Winehouse using acrylic on cotton canvas soon after the death of the talented and icnonic singer was announced on the 26th July. I painted it as a tribute to Amy's talent and to her beauty before her looks were ravaged by drinks and drugs.

The worst thing about Amy Winehouse's legacy is that those who were unfamiliar with her voice and her song writing genius only became to know her through the vile images posted of her in the media. Amy Winehouse was shown stumbling around drunk, drugged, bruised (after a heated argument with her boyfriend) along with details of her addictions. Her addictions became her 'selling' point for the tabloid press rather than her musical talent.

Amy Winehouse did though in a very short period achieve remarkeable things in the music world, things that no other British female singer to date has achieved and this list includes:

(from wikipedia)

"Amy Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

On 14 February 2007, Amy Winehouse won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. Amy Winehouse won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other distinctions. The album is the biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom. Amy Winehouse is credited as an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music, and also for revitalising British music."

This list of awards and nominations will undoubtedly come as a surprise to those who only knew Amy through the gossip channels. If you are one such person, do yourself a favour and have a listen to some of her music. You will be very pleasantly surprised.

Not only was Amy Winehouse a talented singer song writer she was also very beautiful until her addictions did indeed ravage her looks. The painting I have created of her aims to highlight (in a modernistic way) her beauty, though there are many more flattering photos circulating the net.



If you would like to see more drawings and portraits I have created of Amy Winehouse please visit my art blog here.