A Scottish artist who spent his part of childhood in the north-east has enjoyed success across the country with a collection of portraits based on photographs of Marilyn Monroe.
Inspired by screenshots from her films with Twentieth Century Fox, former Aberdeen man Simon Claridge has created six shimmering prints of the iconic American star.
The Diamond Dust Collection depicts the 50s legend in black and white, and each piece has been hand embellished with shimmering silver granules, a trademark of the 35-year-old and a nod to the glamour and opulence of Hollywood.
Mr Claridge moved to Aberdeen when he was five after his father landed a job in oil and gas industry as an engineering consultant.
Spending four years in the Granite City, he attended Ferryhill Primary until he was nine.
He now lives in Reading but has been back to the area since and says he is amazed at how impressive Europe’s oil capital is.
He said: “Aberdeen has such lovely granite buildings – coming back as an adult, I’m proud to have lived in such an epic and grand place.”
The talented craftsman is known for creating art featuring classic female stars like Bridgette Bardot and Audrey Hepburn, as well as cultural idols from of fashion, film and music.
Describing himself has a portrait painter, Mr Claridge said the captures of Marilyn from her movies made for the “ultimate image”.
He added: “To be able to immerse myself in the film archives was an unbelievable privilege.
“It is the closest I will ever get to painting Marilyn for real, and that is an absolute highlight of my career.”
His work has also been recognised by modern-day famous faces, with Scottish Formula 1 racer David Coulthard recently buying one of his limited edition prints.
He said: “Penny Lancaster also bought one of my Blondie portraits as a gift for Rod Stewart, which I was very chuffed about.
“Kate Moss bought a portrait I had done of her, autographed it and donated it to charity for around £3,000 which I thought was lovely.”
The Diamond Dust Collection is currently on display at Castle Galleries in Glasgow and Castle Fine Art in Edinburgh, where manager David Gill is particularly pleased to be hosting the artwork.
He said: “We are delighted to be unveiling Simon’s beautiful prints from his Diamond Dust Collection.
“He’s had a once in a lifetime opportunity to delve into a treasure trove of Marilyn images, and to work with the household name, Twentieth Century Fox, is an honour in itself.
“We have absolutely no doubt that these stunning Monroe prints will be snapped up very quickly.”
The images have been produced in small, medium and large on silkscreen on paper and silkscreen on canvas mediums.