A Portrait of Richard

It's a month since my friend Richard Hannaford died.
He was only forty nine.

I was honoured when Richard asked me to do a portrait of him during his final illness.
He wasn't looking too well and he asked me to work from photographs that his wife Norah had taken earlier.
Luckily they were terrific photos, and I was delighted that Richard and his family were really happy with the painting.
On Sunday we scattered his ashes in Phoenix Park near this beautiful old oak.
It was a very moving experience for all of us who were there.
Norah's brother Leo paid a very touching tribute to Richard.
You can read it here on Leo's blog.