A SCOTTISH artist has unveiled art work to honour one of Scotland’s most cherished cultural figures, Billy Connolly. .
Ross Muir has released his latest work titled Billy Cone-lly – a new painting paying tribute to the comedian.
Launched on Christmas Eve, the piece marks the first time Muir has ever painted Connolly, despite having grown up watching, listening to and quoting him throughout his life. The work goes on sale today here.
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Muir is known for his work which includes and uses humour, resilience and the working-class Scottish identity.
The painting brings together two instantly recognisable Glasgow icons: Billy Connolly himself, and the long-running tradition of placing a traffic cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington statue in Royal Exchange Square.
“Billy Cone-lly” depicts a smiling Connolly with the cone proudly perched atop his head, set against Muir’s trademark bursts of bold colour and paintwork.
Billy Connolly painting (Image: Supplied)
Muri said: “Billy is such a massive cultural icon that, if I’m being honest, I’ve always been a bit nervous about painting him. But this just felt like the right time and the right context.
“After the year a lot of people have had, we could all do with more Billy – his humour, lightness and spirit.”
In October, Muri released Cona-Lisa – his Glaswegian reworking of the Mona Lisa, which sold out quickly and drew widespread attention.
More recently, his collaborative work Two Sons, created alongside renowned Scottish painter Peter Howson, was also a sell-out success.
