Beard Painting of Bret “The Hitman” Hart for Charity

I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, is that a painting of Canadian-born, WWF hall of fame championship professional wrestler, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart?”  The answer is yes, my friend.  Then, of course, the obvious follow up would be, “Was it painted by a comedian/podcaster/fellow Canuck by utilizing his beard as a paintbrush?”  To that, the answer is also yes.

I came across this piece of artwork while gmail chatting with Monster Fresh sometimes-contributor, Devon Booth.  Devon is a standup comedy and podcast enthusiast, who I seemed to recall mentioning the work of comedian, Kyle Kinane, in the past, so when it came to my attention that Kinane would be performing here in Seattle, later this year [keep your eyes peeled for a ticket giveaway to that], I instant messaged him.  Apparently, Kinane‘s tumblr page had a reblogged link to an active ebay auction for this painting; a link which Devon forwarded back to me.

The following description is taken directly from that ebay listing:

“This painting was created by Graham Clark of Stop Podcasting Yourself using the beard attached to his face as a brush.

This is the second in a series featuring Calgarian icons.

It is pink, black, purple, and flesh tone acrylic on 8″ by 10″ canvas board.

All proceeds from the sale of this item will go to the flood relief efforts in Alberta.

Thank you for your time and consideration.”

Neither of us were familiar with Graham Clark‘s work, painting or otherwise, but it turns out that he shares more similarities with his subject than just a home country; they are both champions.  According to his official website, the Vacouver, BC resident is a “3-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee” and “a winner of the Yuk Yuks Great Canadian Laugh Off.”  Yeah, he seems to be fairly successful, as far as his “day job” is concerned, even making appearances at Just For Laughs Comdey Festival and on HBO’s Funny As Hell, but what we all really just want to know about is this beard of his.

Without further adieu, here’s this dude’s face…

The Bret Hart piece isn’t Clark‘s first beard painting rodeo, either.  He has a site, aptly titled BeardPaintings.com, which is designated to these works, and the works are all created for the purpose of earning money for various causes and charities.

Here’s how the artist breaks down the entire project in his own words:

It started as a joke.

Two comedian buddies were making fun of how shaggy my beard had become, suggesting it could be used as a paintbrush. I thought this would be something to try to see if I was at least as good as an elephant, a child or a monkey. I painted with the beard while it was still on my face. I liked the results. I liked the process. I ruined many perfectly good shirts.

When I had completed a few paintings, I decided to put them online for sale to see if I could raise a little money for my friend Clare. Clare was seeking some alternative cancer treatments that were quite expensive, and I really wanted to chip in.

Soon, I couldn’t stop painting and I liked that the sale of these things could help people out. The sale of paintings have raised money for GlobalMedic’s earthquake relief efforts, Oxfam’s East Africa famine relief, and purchased a new wheelchair for comedian Ryan Lachance…oh and Clare was able to get those cancer treatments…pretty good.

Thanks for stopping by.

If you’re interested in checking out and/or bidding on the painting, CLICK HERE.

If you’re just interested in donating to Alberta’s flood relief efforts, you can do that through HERE.