MORTIMER, Alexander (Artist). Slowhand. An Original Portrait of Eric Clapton. 2004. Acrylic paint and ink on canvas, 32 x 21 inches (813 x 533 mm).
 

Eric Clapton, with a reputation of god-like proportion, is # 4 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The Yardbirds, the band with which he rose to early prominence, was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1993, Cream, the band with which he is most closely associated with, made the Hall of Fame, and in 2000 Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. He is the only performer to be a Hall of Fame triple-inductee. He has won sixteen Grammys over the course of his legendary career.

Here, Clapton plays his 1964 Gibson ES-335, which he sold at Christies - New York in 2004 for $847,000 to benefit his charity work. It is one of the most illustrious guitars in rock music history, having been used during the Cream years, and is most famously heard on Crossroads from the Wheels Of Fire album. Indeed, Clapton used the proceeds from the sale of this guitar to establish Crossroads Centre, his internationally renowned addiction rehab facility in Antigua.

Los Angeles-based artist Alexander Mortimer took his degree in Fine/Graphic Arts at College of Marin in Northern California. Over the last twenty years his distinct style, flair, feel for his subjects and the rock n' roll vibe have attracted the eyes of people all across the state and earned him a dedicated fanbase.