James Stevens - Fernando Alonso: Rise - Embellished Canvas 100cm X 100cm

Fernando Alonso rising from the Aston Martin F1 car. A bold, calm and calculated portrait of a two-time world champion.

Aston Martin's identity, heritage, and the cool tone of the brand's colour palette.

Embellished Canvas 100cm X 100cm

The Concept

Rise is a portrait painting, and that distinction shapes everything about it. Where other works in James's collection are built around action or narrative, this piece is built around presence. The concept was to capture Fernando Alonso in the act of rising from the Aston Martin car, a still and powerful moment rather than a dynamic one.

The abstract elements in this piece were developed to support Alonso rather than compete with him. James experimented with how differing abstract backgrounds create depth and movement within the subject, and how they guide the way a viewer perceives what they are looking at. The result is a composition that draws the eye directly to Alonso and holds it there.

The colour theme was anchored to Aston Martin's identity. Staying close to the cooler tones of the brand felt natural, and the palette that emerged reflects the heritage and character of the team without being literal about it. Emotion and perception were the guiding forces, with the painting aiming for something calmer and more thought-provoking than James's more energetic works.

The Painting

The piece is executed in oil on a 1 x 1 metre stretched canvas. James made a deliberate decision to retain a section of the Aston Martin car within the lower portion of the composition. This was not incidental. The car anchors the portrait and reinforces the context, the power of Alonso rising from it only works if you understand what he is rising from.

The level of detail in the realism is a hallmark of James's portrait work. The carbon fibre texture on Alonso's HANS device and the reflections on his visor are both present and carefully rendered. James describes taking particular enjoyment in this kind of detail within a portrait, and it rewards close viewing in a way that broader, more energetic compositions do not always invite.

This piece was also live painted for Aston Martin in late 2025, with James completing the work in front of an audience at an Aston Martin event. That context, a painting made for and in the presence of the brand it depicts, gives the piece an additional layer of significance.