I look at this behatted woman each time I go into the shower room. She’s been with me since my art university days with the signature showing that it was before I became EASK or EASGK. It’s quite a while back. I painted her over the hours and days of advanced oil painting class. She was one of the reasons I was offered a free Masters degree if I taught painting for the university. I turned down that offer and I have never regretted it. It would have sealed my fate to live in the USA and I’ve have probably still been there, living in Washington DC. I would have been marching I hope, but I’m not sure if I’d have become quite so political if I’d stayed. One of the beauties of leaving the USA was to see it from the perspective of people who’d never lived there. That is life changing for sure.
When I see her, I remember what I left and I’m glad I did. I also see my boredom (!). I could not be bothered to paint what she was wearing in the colours they were, so I mixed her with some kind of wild background to only use Paynes Grey and Titanium white. Then I got bored with all of those palm leaves and ended up painting shadows! So I look at her and laugh. She sensed my boredom and it came out in her face. I have no idea whether that was this live model’s actual expression.
That laughter helps these days. Her boredom now echoes my boredom and anger with the state of the USA. As time goes on and no one has stopped the Orange Thief, I see how many enablers there are. The news I trust is a loop of “here’s a new thing he’s done/hasn’t done/u-turned on and here are more enablers making it happen.” When I laugh with the sight of this behatted woman, it wakes me to notice what I can do this time to help turn the tide. I wish such tide turning laughter to us all.
