Happy birthday Loki!

Today my Sheltie Loki is 1 year old. How time flies! He´s beautiful, isn´t he? :-)

Nightly visitations and the lady in a red dress

Der Waldspaziergang
The Forest Walk
oil on stretched canvas
100 x 60 cm
2011

The idea for this picture came out of nothing. One minute I walked with my dog, the other I had it before my inner eye. An absurd situation, because the red dress (inspired by Hieronymus Bosch) is impractical for such a venture. And the lady had to wear this beak mask I have a soft spot for. The title came with this idea and normally I don´t know a title in the beginning. Sometimes I know it during my work, sometimes I have to think about it very hard. I never knew it at such an early stage. The lilly is a lilium regale and even this detail was important with its florid scent. The background is only black (two kinds of black) and white, even it looks a little bluish.
After this swift idea I had to prime my stretched canvas, so no working on my picture the same day. That was torture! I went to sleep late at night, but I couldn´t sleep. All the time same picture danced before my inner eye, told me the title so I don´t forget it. I did roll my eyes because after this attack I would never forget what I want to paint and how to name it.
Late the next evening I could sketch the figure on the canvas, but that wasn´t enough. I couldn´t sleep again and when I slept I dreamt of painting this picture. I had the feeling my mind had a life of one´s own and I couldn´t do anything about it. I don´t even know why I was so besotted of this picture.
Boy was I grateful to make the first stroke of the brush. The nightly visitation ended at this time and after painting like a maniac its finished now. I like it, really, and I have to grin every time I look at it.