Sting Like A Bee

Oil painting on box canvas, unframed - £1,500

This painting depicts a moment of absolute dominance captured in time forever, inspired by the classic photograph of Neil Leifer, during the May 25, 1965 Mohammed Ali rematch with Sonny Liston.

Rendered entirely in monochrome oils, the work revisits one of boxing’s most iconic scenes with restraint and discipline, favouring structure, weight, and tonal control over spectacle. The central figures are treated with clarity and authority, but the true complexity of the piece lives beyond them.

The background crowd — painted patiently and deliberately — forms the emotional spine of the composition. Faces emerge from shadow with individual presence: witnesses, officials, photographers, frozen mid-reaction. Their stillness amplifies the drama in the ring, grounding the moment in shared human attention rather than myth alone.

This remains the longest and most sustained painting the artist has undertaken, demanding endurance, focus, and a refusal to rush resolution. The result is a work where time is embedded in the surface — not just in the subject, but in the making — and where observation is as important as impact.