(SOUVENIR DE PARIS  oil on canvas. 24″ x 28″)

Eight years ago I was in Paris sleeping in Patti Smith’s bed (she wasn’t in it and anyway that’s another story).
In the Musee Rodin I used my phone to take a photo of this female torso, a Greek or Roman sculpture.
When I had the photograph printed the colours were distorted towards violet and greens, but I liked the image and I used it as a part of a still life composition.
I could not make that painting work. I don’t give up easily but eventually the canvas joined the pile of other unresolved paintings.
I have hauled it out every year or so put it onto an easel, wondered what to do with it and put it away again.
Until last year when I carefully painted out everything apart from the photograph taped to the wall and the light across the shelf and the wall.

(unfinished state, bit it’s a better photograph)

The canvas then went back to the unresolved stack to wait patiently.

Quite recently my daughter found me a small turquoise 1950’s ? vase. The colour seems to work nicely with the strange distorted colours of the photograph and the shape of the neck of the vase fits against the hip and leg of the figure. I also added a tall Chinese lemon yellow vase… but that wouldn’t settle so I took it out again and replaced it with a couple of small enigmatic boxes.

( Cat 660. unfinished state, despite the signature. It’s not a very good photo)

I begin to think and hope that after an eight year gestation the painting of the photograph from Paris is almost resolved and I’ve also used the vase and boxes to make two small simple compositions which are also nearly finished.