What Do You Mean? I Am Smiling

Size:28 x 34 in.

Lee Ellis’s original painting What do you mean? I am smiling (24" x 30") captures a striking balance of irony and melancholy, wrapped in his characteristically bold style. Against a flat turquoise background, a monochrome face emerges, rendered in raw, expressive strokes of charcoal and paint. The subject wears a bright yellow striped garment and a comic red party hat, its surface patterned with pizza-like dots, while a round red clown nose and a cigarette hanging loosely from the lips complete the unsettling yet humorous image. The stark juxtaposition between playful props and the sitter’s weary expression creates an immediate tension, evoking both absurdity and pathos.

This work epitomises Ellis’s unique ability to combine light-hearted wit with undercurrents of unease. A British multi-media artist based in Bristol, Ellis is known for pushing the limits of his chosen mediums, from oils and spray paints to charcoals and printmaking. His figures often embody a raw, visceral angst, their features transformed into vessels for painterly experimentation. In more recent years, he has injected humour and cultural references into his work, creating pieces that resonate on multiple levels. What do you mean? I am smiling encapsulates this approach, fusing satire with emotional depth to produce a painting that feels both contemporary and timeless.