August 24, 2025
A friend came to visit and made this photograph of me with one of my latest paintings. There is a story to tell about it…
When I initially created this painting, I was humming and hawing about the reference picture. It was one of my own photographs, but I was not happy with all of the elements in the image, when it came to painting it on canvas.
So I decided to make changes and when that was done, I feared I had made a mess of things. And, a bit dejected, I put the canvas away for a while. This is always a good idea when you get stuck, because time will help you take a fresh look at it at a later stage. Recently I put it back on the easel. And I decided it was time for a do-over.
I followed an idea I had the first time around, but was ‘too chicken’ to implement and put in a really big chicken in the left corner of the scene. And I am happy I did because I think it adds some depth and even humour. The original reference is quite dear to my heart, because it made the cover of a magazine many years ago, which always is quite the honour. But the problem with that is that such an image can become very precious to you and then you are merely replicating it in paint. Now at least I have the feeling that it can stand on its own as a new and original take on the reference. I still have some small details to finish, but you can come and see the finale piece for yourself at the upcoming Studio Tour in the last week of September!