"Ned's First Bank Job"

The artist holding the painting just after finishing it

This piece is one of the Ned Kelly series and is titled "Ned's First bank Job". The canvas is approximately 920mm x 600mm and carries the title of the piece and the artist's signature on the back. You can tell an original Chopper by the signature - Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read - handwritten on the back. 

Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read signed on the back

The painting is also signed on the front, bottom right corner - "CHOPPER" - always in capitals!

Signed "CHOPPER"

For me, this piece signifies the start of Ned's odyssey in crime. The artist's frequent use of the '$' sign in his paintings is no doubt symbolic of Ned's motivation for his lifestyle choice. Ned's eyes are quite fascinating in this painting - they're very different to others I've seen. Ned almost looks hypnotised - perhaps by the dollars. It is the start of the journey.