James Bond Art

Accepted into the 45th Virginia Watercolor Society 2024 Exhibition in Lynchburg, Virginia

“Someone’s Rockin’ My Dreamboat”

…in which Bond rescues Vivienne Michel from the two mobsters sent to the Dreamy Pines Motel by its owner, Mr. Sanguinetti, to burn it down for a fraudulent insurance claim and blame the fire on Vivienne. Bond stops and claims a room because he saw the “Vacancy” sign lit up at the motel. The mobsters try to make him leave but Viv steps up and insists he can stay, and offers to get a room ready for him. Viv proceeds to tell Bond what is actually going on with the mobsters and how they tried to kill her. Bond takes charge and in the ensuing gunfight, kills the mobsters, but he is unable to prevent them from burning down most of the motel using thermite explosives. Bond and Viv stay together in Room No. 3. There Viv admits she had never made love, full love, with her heart as well as her body. Bond had saved her from the dragons, and without him, she would have been dead. “He was only some kind of spy, a spy who loved me…”

Painting Size: 14” w x 19” h

Original Painting: $3,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée full-size print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Giclée half-size print $35.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper:

Painting copyright by the artist 2024

Accepted into the 44th Virginia Watercolor Society 2023 Exhibition in Williamsburg, Virginia

Goldfinger “Dig in Mr. Bond, it’s every man for himself”

…in which Bond is ‘living it up’ and is invited to dine with Junius Dupont at Bill's On The Beach for stone crabs. The meal arrives with ceremony and the bustle of obsequious waitstaff…a wide silver dish of crabs; a sauceboat brimming with melted butter; a rack of toast beside their plate; a silver tankard of Pommery ‘50 pink champagne; a vodka martini with a slice of lemon…here was the real slice of the easy life Bond had been asking for, offered up by the wealthy Dupont, who used his power and influence to ‘get things done’.

As Bond ponders the greedy and hoggish rich life - eating like a pig and devouring the most delicious meal he had ever had - the idea of having another meal like the one he was just served revolts him. At the same time, he was ashamed of his disgust. He had made his wish and the wish had not only been granted, it had been stuffed down his throat.

But Dupont offers Bond ten thousand dollars to stay in Florida and use his skills at cards to discover how Goldfinger is cheating him out of money, and Bond, without a second thought, accepts the offer…

Painting Size: 16” w x 10” h

Original Painting: $2,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Gicléefull-size print$75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Giclée three quarter-size print $35.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper:

Painting copyright by the artist 2023

2022 Winner of the Award of Excellence at the 43rd Annual Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition at the Shenandoah Valley Arts Center

The Man with the Golden Gun “Profile of a Misspent Youth”
…in which we find Bond on assignment to the Caribbean to locate and eliminate Francisco (Paco) “Pistols” Scaramanga - freelance assassin for Castro.
M’s Top Secret Dossier explained it all to Bond: As a youth, Scaramanga spent years in his father’s travelling circus, developing astonishing pistol skills as a trick-shot entertainer. His weapon of choice was a gold-plated, single-action Colt .45 with special bullets. The defining incident, which triggered his desire to avenge himself on humanity, was the shooting death of his elephant, Max, that Scaramanga rode, dressed as an Indian mahout in gorgeous turban and robes. When Max escaped from the circus tent, ran amok, and was eventually killed by an officer from Trieste, Scaramanga drew his pistol and shot the policeman through the heart. He then fled the circus, and escaped to America where he lived a life of crime - eventually making his way to Cuba to work for Castro…M wondered if he’d just signed Bond’s death warrant…

See my new interview with VSB London - purveyors of fine cigar cases - like the one featured in the painting:

https://www.vsblondon.com/blogs/articles/cigars-spies-and-vsb-paintings

Painting Size: 12.125” w x 18.125” h

Original Painting: $3,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée full-size print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Giclée half-size print $25.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper:



Painting copyright by the artist 2021

Winner Best in Show and First Place Fine Arts at the Weinstein JCC “You Belong Here” 2023 art show for members and guests in Richmond, Virginia.

Live & Let Die “Harlem…A Mecca for Voodoo, Jazz & Jive”

…in which we find Bond in New York City with CIA chum, Felix Leiter, scoping out the Jazz clubs and bars in Harlem for a clue to the whereabouts of Mr. Big - Smersh operative and smuggler of gold coins from Captain Morgan’s lost treasure. Mr. Big reigns supreme in Harlem using voodoo to threaten his operatives into complete obedience and loyalty. Bond and Leiter are under constant surveillance, their every move reported back to Mr. Big.

Leiter, a Jazz buff, takes Bond to Harlem’s hotspots, where, in his own words, “most of the real hep-cats smoke reefers” and gives Bond a first-hand look at a world he had never dealt with before. A world dominated by suspicion, fear, the casting of maleficent spells…the destruction of enemies. But also a world where some of the best music ever written - and played - exists side-by-side with the dark lord of the Underworld - the Baron Samedi - Mr. Big himself…

Painting Size: 15” w x 20” h

Original Painting: $3,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée full-size print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Giclée half-size print $25.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper:



Painting copyright by the artist 2020

Octopussy “Not So Tickety-Boo…Death, Instead of Cartier”

…in which we find Bond in Jamaica, confronting Major Dexter Smythe, RMC, Ret., about the theft of Nazi gold bars during WW2, and the murder of Bond’s friend - Hannes Oberhauser. After Bond presents the evidence the Government has against him, Smythe - as broken dreams of wealth and a life of luxury flash through his mind’s eye - admits to the crimes and “comes clean,” explaining in detail what he did and how he escaped with the gold. Realizing that he has only a few weeks left before he is prosecuted, Smythe takes to the ocean for his recreational past-time of studying the local aquaculture. Intending to feed a deadly scorpion fish to his favorite octopus, Smythe is stung by the fish and quickly overcome by the poison. Delirious, struggling with pain, screaming into his Pirelli diving mask as it fills with water, Smythe is caught by the octopus, whose tentacles wrap around his arm and drag him down slowly, under the waves to a watery grave…

Painting size: 14" w x 11" h

Original Painting: $2,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Full Size Giclée print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Half Size Giclée print $25.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour Paper

Painting copyright by the artist 2020

Accepted into the 42nd Virginia Watercolor Society 2021 Exhibition in Portsmouth, Virginia

Risico “Flick Knives & Florian’s”

“…In which we find Bond in Venice, taking time out from his search for an opium smuggling drug lord, and indulging in his second favorite past time - eating. Fresh figs, olives and proscuitto are on all the menus. Pretending to be a wealthy writer, Bond scatters “thousand-lira notes around like leaves in Vallombrosa” to bolster his cover. In the morning we find him strolling the backstreets and canals - hoping to uncover a tail. He visits a couple of churches to see if anyone was following him. At Café Florian he drinks an Americano accompanied by a cornetto - the Italian version of a croissant. Later that morning he buys a postcard to send to his secretary who had once visited Italy and never allowed him to forget it. But despite these diversions, the dark shadow of the smuggling operation is ever present - watching over him like a grotesgue gargoyle.”

Painting size: 16" w x 22" h

Original Painting: $3,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée full-size print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
Limited Edition Giclée half-size print $25.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper

Painting copyright by the artist 2020

Accepted into the 41st Virginia Watercolor Society 2020 Exhibition at The Virginia Museum of History and Culture, in Richmond, Virginia

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service “Dyspeptic Memories & The Curse of Scotland”

 ...In which we find Bond motoring through France from the Italian frontier at Ventimiglia, reflecting upon the culinary “sucker traps” that lured in unsuspecting “gourmandizing tourists.” He was fed up with the travel posters and rituals promoting wine and beaches, the antique bogosities cluttering up the mock-Breton auberges, selling sleazy and expensive provender that was passed off for food in the “Belly Region” of France.

After a thrilling road race with an unknown woman, Bond finally arrives at the casino in Royale Les Eaux for the last night of the season. He finds himself rescuing that same woman - La Comtesse Teresa di Vicenzo - from the ignominy of “Le Coup de Déshonneur” at chemin de fer. After losing by one card - the nine of diamonds - at the hand of the Monster from Lille, Bond ends the evening in La Comtesse’s bed in room 45 at the hotel - his reward for saving her - at a price of 40 million francs…

Painting size: 16." w x 16.25" h

Original Painting: $2,800.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality matt and glass
Limited Edition Full Size Giclée print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper
One Half Size Giclée print $ 25.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour Paper

Painting copyright by the artist 2020

Commander James Bond KCMG, DSO, OBE, RNVR, (Ret.)

In which we find that the rumours of Bond’s demise at the hands of Blofeld and Irma Bunt were greatly exaggerated. M’s obit for Bond in The Times of London revealed his early history as a student at Eton and Fettes Colleges, his wartime career, and his service to the Crown - albeit classified - in the Ministry of Defense. Bond’s exploits were chronicled by foreign media, and a “series of popular books came to be written about him by a personal friend.” Back in his flat off the King’s Road, Bond’s mementos of his deadly career, as well as the novels, are proudly displayed on his library shelves. As M wrote, “if the quality of these books, or their degree of veracity, had been any higher, the author would certainly have been prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.” It is a testament to Bond’s career that even to this day other writers have picked up the baton to enthrall the public with tales of Bond’s chosen profession: a secret agent with the license to kill.

Painting size: 13.5" w x 16.125" h

Original Painting: $4,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

OFFICIAL SECRETS: The Backstory

For “Official Secrets” I was motivated by the Obit in The Times (of London) that appears at the end of You Only Live Twice, written by M about the presumed death of Bond at the hands of Blofeld (Dr. Shatterhand) and Irma Bunt. As my narrative describes, M recounts Bond’s early history as a youth, his time (very scandalous and short) at Eton, and his subsequent days at Fettes College. The self-twitting irony of Fleming is evident when M writes about the popularization of Bond’s exploits by a personal friend and how these stories were almost in violation of the Official Secrets Act - hence the name of the painting. I have continued the contemporization of Bond with his collection of first edition Fleming novels that Bond would have undoubtedly acquired, the recent Bond continuation novel by Anthony Horowitz - Trigger Mortis, a bookmark from Artistic Licence Renewed and other elements that Bond has on hand in his flat.

Incidental Intel

To continue theme of the contemporary nature of Official Secrets, I followed clues from The Times Obit, added objects that Bond might have collected, as well as those mentioned in numerous novels - most of which need little explanation, ubiquitous as they are. Hence the Haig & Haig, Ben Hogan golf clubs, the Calamity Jane putter, Leica M3 camera, and the Lugar pistol, to mention a few. Some exceptions do occur. Blofeld’s samurai sword, for example, has the SPECTRE mon at the top of the handle. Unspecified “protection” was mentioned in The Spy Who Loved Me, so it was either Forex or Trojan condoms…

I liked the colors of the Trojans best. The room key given to Bond in Risico was from the actual Hotel (Albergo) Danieli. Readers will remember the two cards Solitaire held face to face to show Bond she was on his side - so a portrait of her was required. The Chopping Fly is always my last image to add, so it appears on the edge of the shelf. 

Commander James Bond KCMG, DSO, OBE, RNVR, (Ret.) “A Deadly Career”

In which we find James Bond, retired from the Secret Service, and still living in his Chelsea flat, comfortably situated off the King’s Road. His treasured housekeeper, May, an elderly Scotswoman, has long since passed, and Bond has hired another woman to take her place. Arranged on a long Queen Anne table in Bond’s flat are mementos from his deadly career – objects representing his successes and failures in his line of business: killing enemies and foiling organizations that threaten the Crown, the Service, and himself.

These objects are tarnished with the long years of treachery, ruthlessness, and fear as is Bond. Each object tells a story, reminding him how close to death he came with every new assignment, every occasion when he was launched, like a loaded projectile, across the world toward some distant target of M’s choosing. Kill or be killed. Bond gave it little thought on the job, following every lead that would bring success and satisfaction to the Admiral to whom he had dedicated his loyalty, trust and life.

In the permanent collection of the International Spy Museum, Washington, DC.

Limited Edition Giclée print on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper: $350.00

SOLD: Original Painting: $20,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and glass

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Commander James Bond KCMG, DSO, OBE, RNVR, (Ret.)

In which Bond has displayed on his Queen Anne sideboard an ironic “wink’s as good as a nod” to his retirement from MI6 as a secret agent. These artifacts are constant reminders of his close and frequent brush with death at the hands of enemy agents. They chronicle his loss of friends and loved ones - but also his personal triumphs over adversity and the obstacles thrown in his path. His official career may have quietly come to an end, like the grand old warship displayed upon his walls, but his work is yet to be done. He knows that his particular skills and talents may be called upon in the future by elements in the private sector, who require him to perform his services with a certain amount of finesse, subtlety and deadly discretion…He may be retired, but he still has the license to kill.

The Last voyage of an Old War Hero:

Q: It always makes me feel a little melancholy. Grand old war ship, being ignominiously hauled away to scrap... The inevitability of time, don't you think? What do you see?

Bond: A bloody big ship.

Painting size: 13.5" w x 16.125" h

Original Painting: $4,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Giclée print $75.00 on 110 lb Arches Watercolour paper

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

MAN O’ WAR: The Backstory

For “Man O’ War” I have made certain presumptions and taken considerable artistic licence with the objects therein - and have conflated some imagery that “Bond might have collected” along with those known known’s from Fleming’s literary oeuvre. Following the theme of bringing Bond into our times, I added the Love Knot necklace by Sophie Harley and worn by Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, and the J.M.W. Turner painting, “The Fighting Temeraire”  that appeared in the film “Skyfall” - as an ironic visual reminder of Bond and his retirement from MI6. But rather than being “ignominiously hauled away to the scrap yard” like an old war horse, Bond is still a lethal weapon to be reckoned with by his enemies. 

Incidental Intel 

The question I always ask myself is “what should I include in this painting?” For Man O’ War, it was no different. Bond is retired, so I needed images to convey that idea - but with a twist. Bond may have officially ended his career, but when the application of deadly force is needed, the tools had to be at hand. These include his Walther PPK, a 38 Special in the Berns-Martin triple draw holster, a Fairbairn-Sykes commando knife, and a relic from Capt. Morgan’s treasure trove - the Tower pistol. Rounding out the selection of objects is a Russian snipers medal, to remind him of Trigger in The Living Daylights, a squeeze bulb pistol to dispense cyanide from Property of a Lady, an English Sabre given to him by M, and the note by Baron Samedi’s minions about Felix Leiter in Live and Let Die. They are, for the most part, not-so-subtle reminders of Bond’s Licence to Kill. 

Killing Time

 …in which Bond’s Russian counterpart, the infamous sniper known as Trigger, prepares to assassinate British Agent 272. The agent is trying to escape East Germany by running the gaunlet of No-Man’s Land, bringing back top secret plans for a new Russian missile project. Trigger, disguised as a member of a Russian women’s orchestra, carries her weapon in a cello case, and uses the background noise of the orchestra playing Prince Igor, by Borodine, to cover up the sound of her machine gun. While Trigger waits for the agent to make his break for freedom, she bides her time in quiet contemplation - and anticipation of a successful assignment. Little does she know that Bond has her in his sights… 

Size: 12" x 18.125"

Original Painting: $3,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

The Trouble with Tiffany

…in which Bond’s assignment is to impersonate a smuggler’s mule and infiltrate and disrupt the trafficking of illicit diamonds. Bond teams up with Tiffany Case, and devise a plan to bring $100,000 worth of diamonds into the US, inside Bond’s favorite golf balls - Dunlop 65’s. Bond’s payoff is $5,000 but payment is delayed after a jockey for the mob gets disqualified during a horse race in Saratoga, NY - a race upon which Bond was supposed to bet. He eventually collects his fee in a rigged Blackjack game with cards dealt by Tiffany at the Tiara in Las Vegas. Infuriating his “employers” by winning $20G of their money at Roulette, Bond is subjected to a “Brooklyn Stomping” by Wint and Kidd - torpedoes for the mob. Left for dead, Bond, with Tiffany’s help, derails the mobsters' train that blows up after hitting “the end of the line.” Making their escape, Bond and Tiffany board the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner for England, but Tiffany is captured by Wint and Kidd. Bond rescues her, kills both hit men, and eventually takes out the head of the operation in Africa, thus ending the global smuggling of diamonds.

Size" 12.25" x 18.125"

Original Painting: $2,800.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

There Were Bits of Her in the Glove Compartment

…in which Bond is sitting at a bar in Paris, his reverie shattered by a Peugeot 403 screaming to a halt, and the lovely female driver making her way to him with a breathless, “Crash dive - you’re wanted at the office.” Ordered to find and eliminate the assassins of British dispatch riders, Bond works with Agent 765, Mary Ann Russell, commandeers her Peugeot - the car is filled with her presence - and discovers that Russians are behind the killings. In the process of taking down the gang, Bond’s life is saved by Russell, who shoots his assailant with a .22 calibre target pistol.

Size: 7.5" x 14.5"

Original Painting: $2,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Disinformation Served…Coffee and a Cover-up

…in which we find Bond back at his Chelsea flat, enjoying his favorite meal of the day - breakfast - and reading the government’s disinformation campaign on the Moonraker disaster in the only paper he ever reads...The Times. After a hair-raising escape from ex-Nazi Hugo Drax, Bond, with the help of agent Gala Brand, recalibrates the flight path of the rocket, Moonraker, with its nuclear payload away from London. The two agents successfully foil Drax’s plans for the destruction of the City. Drax’s attempt to escape in a Russian submarine proves disastrous for him, his 50 ex-Nazi Werewolf assistants, and the Russian crew. The rocket crash lands at the recovery site and blows up the sub as it passes under the target zone. Whitehall goes into full damage control and spins the death of “National Hero” and “Great Patriot” Hugo Drax as a tragic loss to the nation. The PM convinces the Press to publish Whitehall’s version of “the truth” and they comply. M tells Bond that the government is “going to try the biggest cover-up in history.”

Size: 12" x 17"

Limited Edition Digital Print: $100.00

SOLD: Original Painting: $5,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality matt and glass

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

(Stop) Suggest You Change Your Grocer (Stop)

…in which Bond is in Jamaica on a routine investigation to locate two agents, who are MIA. After his cover is blown, a basket of fruit is sent to his hotel room - a gift, supposedly from the Acting Governor. Suspecting a ruse, Bond discovers discoloration and puncture marks in each piece of fruit. Believing it’s poisoned, he sends it off for analysis to Pleydell-Smith, who confirms his suspicion: each piece of fruit contains enough cyanide to kill a horse. Bond realizes this “act of war” is Dr. No’s plan to eliminate any investigation into his Crab Key Island activities - and Bond is his new target. Taking preemptive action, Bond and his old friend Quarrel sail under cover of night to the island, to infiltrate Dr. No’s operation, discover the secret he’s hiding, exercise Bond’s License to Kill to shut down any illegality - and terminate Dr. No - permanently.

Size: 9.75" x 18.125" 

Original Painting: $1,850.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Speaking of Death, It’s Time to Discuss Yours, Mr. Bond

…in which Bond is tasked to race a Maserati 250F at the Nürburgring - “a long, green scream” - and prevent the crash and death of Britain’s famous racer, Lancy Smith, staged by agents of SMERSH and Russian driver, Ivan Dimitrov. Success, and luck, is with Bond…he forces Ivan and his black Krassny off the track and into the trees. Captured aprés race by the evil Korean, Jason Sin, Bond is forced to choose from a deck of Hanafuda cards that will reveal his manner of death. Using the “single-handed annulment” devised by card master John Scarne, Bond cheats and draws a blank card. In a rage, Sin chooses for Bond. “Buried Alive” is the death Bond faces. Will he die, or will he live to prevent Jason Sin’s nefarious plan from taking place in New York.

Size: 9" x 11"

Original Painting: $1,850.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

The Corrector & The Collector

A Cabinet of Curiosities
…in which Bond helps his friend, Fidele Barbey, pilot a yacht to the Seychelle Islands for business tycoon Milton Krest. Krest’s goal is to kill or buy as many rare species from the Island and sell them to the Smithsonian. Arrogant, abusive to everyone - Krest whips his wife with a stingray tail he calls The Corrector - he is murdered at night by an unknown assailant. Bond tidies up the crime scene, throws Krest overboard to the sharks, and reflects upon the morality of killing - feeling justified that Milton Krest got exactly what he deserved.

Meet Milton Krest:
Abusive: he whips his wife at the slightest provocation with “the Corrector”
Arrogant: a Prussian pro-Nazi, Krest summons his German thugs like dogs with a silver whistle…threatens to have Bond thrown overboard for lack of servility
Alcoholic: sober/intolerable - drunk/violent - Krest is aggressive to those around him
Filthy Rich: clawed his way to the top -  so he deserves nothing but the best
Collector: money buys everything and everyone - including his 5 wives
But Death waits patiently for Krest on board his yacht…

List of images in painting: - from top left to right:
1. Mullein – a plant from which Rotetone poison is derived
2. Rare “Cypraea Mappa” - Mappa Cowrie shell
3. Golden Octopus ring worn by members of SPECTRE
4. Seychelles’ Bulbul - a noisy and aggressive bird
5. “Scaphelia Junonia” Cowrie shell
6. Rediscovered Seychelles’ Lizard and Skull
7. Krest’s father’s Prussian Helmet – the Picklehaube, with letter from the Smithsonian
8. Elizabeth Krest – 5th & last wife of Milton Krest, with “Achatina Achatina” Fairyland Snail seashell
9. Gold Dunhill Cigar & Pipe Lighter
10. Sterling Dog-head whistle used by Krest to summon his crew
11. Cassandra, the 4th Mrs. Krest
12. The Hildebrand Rarity – rare member of the Squirrel-fish family
13. Krest’s Germanic (possible Nazi-sympathizer) photo & father’s medal
14. Large“Terebra Maculata” - Marlinspike Auger seashell
15. Cuban Montecristo cigar
16. Alexandra, the 3rd Mrs. Krest – & her “Cypraea
Mappa” Mappa Cowrie shell
17. Skull bottle – filled with the poison Rotetone
18. Poisonous Ocellate Octopus
19. Knife used by Bond to stage Krest’s death & cut the rope to his hammock
20. Edelweiß – favorite flower & symbol of the Nazis
21. The Corrector– the stingray tail whip used by Krest to beat his wives
22. The Chopping Fly

Size: 12.25" x 18.125"

Original Painting: $3,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

SMERSH Konspriatsia - Beauty & The Beast

...in which we find Bond being targeted to be “killed with ignominy” in a plan devised by Col. Rosa Klebb, chief torturer and Head of the Operations Department for SMERSH. Using beautiful Russian agent Tatiana Romanova as the “bait” to snare Bond, and top assassin Red Grant to kill him, Klebb puts her plans into action with the seduction and blackmail of Tatiana and promises of glory (and a medal) to Grant. Tatiana promises to provide Bond with the latest cipher machine, Spektor, if he will spirit her away to London - and out of the hands of the Russian Secret Service. Knowing it’s a trap, Bond lets the plan unfold from Istanbul to Greece, Belgrade to Venezia, and eventually to France on the Orient Express. On board, Grant, disguised as a fellow Englishman, tries to kill Bond, fails, and is killed by Bond instead. Once in Paris, Bond tracks down Col. Klebb at the Ritz Hotel and in the ensuing fight, is stabbed by the poison-tipped blade hidden in Klebb’s shoe. Klebb is taken into custody by Bond’s friend René Mathis, who saves Bond’s life in the nick of time. 

Size: 12" x 16"

Original Painting: $1,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Never Send a Man Where You Can Send a Bullet

…in which Bond goes clandestine and “off the record” to find, identify, and deliver final judgment upon three hit men and their boss, Von Hammerstein - an ex-Gestapo thug,  turned head of Counter Intelligence for Batista - who had murdered close personal friends of M in Jamaica. Bond mulls over his assignment - he had no personal motive - it was just his job, as it was the job of a pest control officer to kill rats. He was the public executioner appointed by M to avenge the victims.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,850.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Cardboard Hero - Spectre of Defeat

…in which Domino, drinking Veuve Cliquot champagne, reveals to Bond that her Hero - the Sailor on the pack of Player’s Navy Cut cigarettes - was her one true love, the man of her dreams, the first man she ever sinned with.

…in which, Emilio Largo and Bond, playing Chemin de Fer for high stakes, spar in a battle of words. Bond casually remarks that he saw in Largo “a spectre of defeat” - words that strike Largo with their double meaning - and Bond defeats Largo with the ten of clubs and the five of hearts.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,850.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Reflections in a Double Bourbon

…in which Bond reflects moodily over life and death and the last man he dispatched - as part of his profession to kill people. It had been a squalid affair, dangerous and without any redeeming features - but Bond did as he was told. The death of a Mexican narco-trafficer smuggling heroin into Britain had to be stopped at all costs. Bond parries the knife strike and with a Commando blow to the chin and throat, sends the drug dealer to his death. Bond gloomily orders another double bourbon with the full intention of “getting stinking drunk” whilst waiting for his flight to Miami.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Sacrificed for Queen & Country

…in which Bond sacrifices his ancestral home Skyfall in an attempt to save M’s life, only to see his Aston Martin DB5 destroyed by Raoul Silva, ex-MI6 agent-turned-cyber terrorist, and M mortally wounded. As Skyfall burns to the ground, Silva drops to the floor by a knife thrown by Bond. M, too, collapses and dies in Bond’s arms. Back in London - days later - Bond’s new boss, Mallory, queries Bond about his mental and physical state and his readiness to carry on as a “double-ought” agent.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1.500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Dr. Shatterhand’s Banquet of Death

…in which Tiger Tanaka, Head of Japanese Secret Service, and Bond, enjoy an “o-furo” - the traditional and honorable sulphur bath, get blazing drunk on five bottles of Saké each, trade Haiku poems, share the secrets of Dr. Shatterhand’s poisonous Garden of Delights, and eat a deadly blow-fish - “Fugu” - for dinner. Bond, relieved that he survived his meal, ponders the popular dish for suicides and murderers and remarks that it’s “just what he would have chosen” for his last meal. Meanwhile, on an island off of Fukuoka…

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

A Pair of Nines

…in which Bond puts a stop to arms being smuggled from Jamaica and the Bahamas to Castro’s rebels in Cuba - a job he didn’t relish, as his sympathies were with the Cuban rebels. At dinner with the Governor of Nassau, while enjoying brandy and Cuban cigars, conversation drifts over the complexity of human relationships and the common factor in all relations…the Law of the Quantum of Solace…upon which all love and friendship is based - the Comédie Humaine, where human passions are raw and real.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Carry On, Double-oh-Seven

…in which the objects of Bond’s daily life are exhibited throughout all his assignments and stories, and with which he must carry out the responsibilities of his 007 - License to Kill - status. A vodka martini - shaken not stirred.
A Walther PPK, 7.6 mm, with a “delivery like a brick through a plate glass window. Takes a Brausch silencer with very little reduction in muzzle velocity. The American CIA swear by them.” His passport - always in his own name. And the ubiquitous cigarette - custom made by Morlands, with three gold bands and a blend of Balkan and Turkish tobacco.

Size: 8.375" square

Original Painting: $1,250.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

A Whisper of Love - A Whisper of Hate

…in which Bond and the villain Le Chiffre engage in a life and death game of Baccarat. Dealt the two red queens against Le Chiffre’s king and three, Bond’s fate rests in his next card. He draws a nine - the card known in gypsy magic as “a whisper of love, a whisper of hate” - a card that meant almost certain victory for Bond. Le Chiffre draws a five, thinking that he has won. The croupier flicks Bond’s cards over - “Et le Neuf”  and “le Baccarat” is Bond’s. Le Chiffre goes down in defeat with a loss of his personal fortune, sealing his death warrant at the hands of SMERSH.

Size: 3.75" x 7.675"

Original Painting: $1000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

M Laid Down the Pipe and Stared at it Tetchily

Size: 3.75" x 7.675"

Original Painting: $1000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality mat and plexiglass
Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

All paintings are framed in gunmetal grey frames, with museum quality mats with a 3” to 4” border to make the artwork standout. Prior to shipping, all the original museum quality glass is replaced with museum quality plexiglass - for better shipping protection and a lighter weight. You can stack them up on the wall or have them stand alone. They will look brilliant no matter how you display them.

Can’t you just hear the music rising out of the background noise of the Casino? The omnipresent cigarette (specially made by Morlands with the triple gold band) dangling loosely from his lips, as he casually flicks the flame to life from his oxidized Ronson lighter? The smoke curling seductively around his face, the thin vertical scar down his right cheek, that insolent comma of black hair that softened the mask of a face - one time soft - brutal the next?                                                                                     Iconic. Chauvinist. Womanizer. Smoker. Drinker. Playboy. Assassin.

Both Fleming and his creation, James Bond, gave new meaning to these words and brought a visible and tangible reality to the genre of 20th century spies and spy-craft novels.

So what is it about Bond that is so alluring and enticing? His personal characteristics and anti-social behavior are anything but enviable and worthy of emulation by our current standards, yet his magnetic draw continues to work its magic on viewers and readers, even decades after the last book was written. Publicity surrounding the advance announcement of the “next Bond Film” creates such a buzz that each film debut draws in viewers like moths to the proverbial flame.

Perhaps it is the Walter Mitty character in all of us - the temptation of an alter ego so diametrically opposite from our normal everyday personality - that “donning the mantle of Bond” boosts our sense of self-worth and feeds our imagination with a liberal dose of fantasy that we all so deeply crave.

On the other hand, could it be that Bond reinforces and validates those very un-PC attitudes we all secretly desire and gives us some form of justification for behaving the way we do…

Sociologists would have a field day with this

Edgy…gritty…never give in nor give up…exactly the type of guy that Ian Fleming would have chosen for Bond…James Bond.

Size: 8" x 12"

Limited Edition Digital Print: $25.00

Limited Edition Giclée Print: $75.00

Original Painting: $1,500.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality matt and glass

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

“Damaged Goods”

…in which Bond sports a bloodied lip to show his vulnerability and make him more human - but not quite humane. He does, after all, have a License to Kill. 

Size: 17" circular

Original Painting: $2,000.00 framed in gun-metal gray with museum quality matt and glass

Painting copyright by the artist 2019

Published in 1963 - in a coincidence of extraordinary proportions 57 years ago - Ian Fleming writes in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service about a biological-warfare campaign that was being conducted by Ernst Stavro Blofeld against the West - Britain, specifically.

Blofeld was manufacturing viruses in his secret laboratory tucked away in the Swiss Alps, under the guise of conducting beneficial research to help countries control various pestilences that threatened crops, poultry and the gamut of hoofed animals.

But instead, he was using women as “mules” to carry the virulent biological viruses back to their home country and to release the viruses into the domestic animal population and farmlands - with devastating results.

The Secret Service and British Government coined a new term for the anti-biowarfare program they wanted to wage against Blofeld…

It would be ‘CORONA’.”

Spring forward 57 years to 2020: evidence about the origin of the CORONA V-19 - virus has been suppressed by the Chinese Government…will we ever know the real truth behind the virus? Not until Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak come clean about their work at the Wuhan Lab…talk about two Blofelds…

The Name’s Wadsworth…Gerald Wadsworth

Gerry studied watercolour with the late watercolorist Shelly Bechtel-Sheppard. Since 2010, Gerry has been painting “A Tribute to James Bond - 007” - a series of watercolour paintings that visually interpret the books of Ian Fleming, as well as the James Bond films. He is a featured artist and literary contributor to the internationally recognized website, Artistic License Renewed - Literary 007 and showcases his paintings on this, his own website: Jamesbondart.com or Wadsworthfineart.com. In 2017, Gerry received a commission for a James Bond painting from the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, and his painting now hangs in their new building at L’Enfant Plaza.