"I’m pleased to post this completed state of Shower, a larger painting which I posted as a Work In Progress a week ago, based on studies made with handsome Amahdeus in my own shower. It must be said that while my shower room at home has a marble floor, the walls are tile, but I didn’t like the ‘grid effect’ of the tiling, which visually felt cage-like. Since this is a painting about movement and flow, that was entirely the wrong image, so I used marble instead, which allowed a lot of reflected lights and shadows within its natural veins. I did not want to make this an Alma-Tadema or John William Godward mable: they were the marvellous High Victorians artist of toga-ed figures on marble terraces and in baths, and were famous for their depictions of the veining and staining of the stone, but I wanted something different. I’m strangely pleased with the window, and the feeling of steam obscuring the glass, but that’s just a small detail, and I’m very happy with how the light spray of water off the body turned out. Of course, the main attraction is the stunning model, and the rivulets of water and soap running down his athletic torso." Binnie, October 2024.
