Ready, Aim… Frame. Bullet Casing Portraits of Lennon, Lincoln, Kennedy and Others.

Bullet Casing Portraits

Another artist who has found a way to use ammunition in his work, David S. Palmer, joins the ranks of these talented folks about whom I’ve written; Al Farrow uses bullets in his amazing reliquaries, Unearthen makes stunning jewelry of bullet casings and gems, Jason Clay Lewis has a series of engraved bullets and artist Walt Creel uses bullet holes to create his artwork.

Bullet Casing Portraits

David Palmer with his Lennon portrait made of bullet casings
Artist David Palmer with his Lennon portrait made of bullet casings.

So what does David do with bullets? He uses spent bullet casings to create portraits of heroes, most – not all- of whom were actually felled by bullets.

 Bullet Casing Portraits
David uses a torch to place the finishing touches on the Tupac portrait.

A contemporary artist, David S. Palmer was born in Knox, Indiana in 1953 and studied fine art at Ball State University. In 1976 moved to Laguna Beach, California where he is now represented by Lu Martin Galleries.

John Lennon:

john lennon Bullet Casing Portrait
John Lennon, “Peacemaker” 4ft x 4ft., mixed media/bullet casings
portrait of john lennon made from bullet casings
John Lennon, “Peacemaker” 4ft x 4ft., mixed media/bullet casings
John Lennon,
John Lennon, “Peacemaker” (detail) 4ft x 4ft., mixed media/bullet casings

John F. Kennedy:

JFK bullet portrait full
John F. Kennedy, “The Proud American” 41″ x 31″, mixed media/bullet casings
jfk bullet portrait closeup
John F. Kennedy, “The Proud American” 41″ x 31″, mixed media/bullet casings

Abraham Lincoln:

abraham lincoln bullet casing portrait
Lincoln, “Dark Days, Dark Times”, 38″ x 38″, mixed media/bullet casings
abe lincoln portrait
Lincoln, “Dark Days, Dark Times”, 38″ x 38″, mixed media/bullet casings
Bullet Casing Portraits
Lincoln, “Dark Days, Dark Times”, 38″ x 38″, mixed media/bullet casings

Tupac Shakur:

Tupac bullet portrait
Tupac Shakur, “Angels With Broken Wings”, 29″ x 39″, mixed media/bullet casings
tupac bullet portrait angle
Tupac Shakur, “Angels With Broken Wings”, 29″ x 39″, mixed media/bullet casings
portrait of Tupac made from bullet casings
Tupac Shakur, “Angels With Broken Wings”, 29″ x 39″, mixed media/bullet casings

John Wayne:

John Wayne,
John Wayne, “The Duke” 36″ x 36″, mixed media/bullet casings

A late addition, because I love it. His bullet casing portrait of Vincent Van Gogh:
van gogh bullet portrait full

van gogh bullet portrait

Images are all from the artist’s site.