Artist shocked by online response to portrait of dying father

Artist Vincent Michael Brown was shocked by the online response to his portrait of his dying father, which he shared after completing it as part of his grieving process. The painting attracted hundreds of comments and thousands of likes. Brown, from Warmley near Bristol, painted his father throughout his life and finished the final piece, Father Holding On, in tears after his dad died from pneumonia in 2025. Viewers, including care workers and nurses, said the image resonated with their own experiences of losing loved ones. Brown described his father as a tough carpenter and Bristol Rovers supporter who changed after a vascular dementia diagnosis. He said painting the portrait helped him cry and served as a tribute to his father's fighting spirit.