A lot of things inspired this painting. First and foremost, I wanted to make a self portrait in the studio. It's one year on from my painting "Working Remotely".
The passion-fruit was found on a walk, the council did some tidy up of the trees and a wild passion-fruit vine was included in that. On the wall are some beautiful postcards I picked up many years ago during a trip to Amsterdam. They remind me that one day, I'll be able to go see these paintings in real life again. Here I am in the mirror, contemplating my next brush stroke. During the pandemic, I think I found the meaning to life. It’s the little things, and what Viktor Frankl calls “the last of the human freedoms”: choosing your attitude. I painted the landscape en plein air at Tweed Regional Gallery’s community picnic, and that ‘little thing’ gave me hope.
This painting made it to second round judging in The Darling Prize. It's still entered in a few other prizes before it will be available to ship.
