This was a commission for the same great patron who wanted a portrait of Winston Churchill.
The idea behind the portrait was to make his face show all the trials, pain and strength in the man’s amazing adventure in the South Polar regions.
If you haven’t read his recounting of his expedition in the book ‘South’ I urge you to do so.
Texture upon texture was created with many different materials, the colour palette was restricted to to cold hues and the mark making was frenetic with no pussyfooting.
As the surface is so textured, the light really effects it’s appearance. Above is the work in weak sunlight, below is with an overhead bulb.
The book about the making of this portrait is available here.
http://www.blurb.com/b/5949347-ernest-shackleton-a-portrait
You can see a readable pdf of the book here.
http://view.pagetiger.com/TrevorMillArtBooks/issue1
This is a study for the painting which is also being framed.
In hindsight the ears are tiny! Shackleton, being dead could only be drawn and painted from photographic sources. This made me really try and bring out every contour to combat the flatness of the photographic source.
Trevor Mill Graphic Designer Ltd 
Fascinating and I enjoyed seeing the progression of the work – something rarely exhibited. The sketches and preparatory work for me were the most interesting although the finished piece contained much of that energy and inspiration. Thanks.
Great work Trevor!
A really impressive portrait. The rough texture add a really interesting play with scale – with the face becoming reminiscent of a craggy, scarred landscape.
Thank you. It would be great to make a version 10 foot high.