The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Barber swaps his clippers for a canvas
Fife barber David Logue put down the clippers and went for the canvas as he ended up in a £50,000 painting.
The worlds of art and haircuts collided in his Leslie shop, Har Barber, when he received an unusual request.
Acclaimed oil painter Vincent Kamp sent him a message on social media asking him to take part in an art exhibition.
“I sent a picture of myself as a reference, and he felt I was interesting enough to paint,” David said.
The artist is known for his darkly compelling portraits of unconventional individuals.
From Leslie High Street, David went down to London to pose with seven other barbers.
The result is a painting almost two metres long, titled The Shaving Lesson Of Frank Rimer.
It takes inspiration from Rembrandt’s famous painting, The Anatomy Lesson Of Dr Nicholaes Tulp.
Kamp wished to link the old surgeons – who were often also barbers – to the barbers of today.
Modelling for the painting was a new experience for the Fife barber.
He said: “I was very out of my comfort zone. Other barbers and some movie actors were there. It was a cool experience for sure.”
After the painting was shown in Kamp’s After Hours exhibition, it was bought for £49,950.
The painter also did individual portraits of each of the barbers.
David’s portrait was sold for £9,950, with the most expensive ones going for £12,950.
David said: “It’s a pretty fancy collection, and it was cool to be a part of that.
“The painting of me is a one-off – there’s no prints of it.
“It’s quite rare to be able to say you’re in a painting that’s probably sitting in someone’s mansion somewhere.”
David opened Har Barber three years ago, and last month he became the proud owner of the premises.
The traditional 1920s barbershop is undergoing renovations but still boasts antiques such as 1800s barber chairs and a 1920s cash register to set the scene.
Alongside him, five barbers offer haircuts and shaves, as well as a cup of locally-roasted coffee.
The Roasting Project in Burntisland provides an exclusive brand to the Leslie barbershop.
David said: “We’ve collaborated with Little White Candle as well, so they’ve created two exclusive scents for us.”
Despite trips out of Fife recently to take part in the exhibition, David and Har Barber will be staying in Leslie.
“I keep getting asked if I want to open up more shops,” he said.
“I’m happy having the one shop, putting all my concentration into making sure that it’s the best version of itself.”