"I’m pleased to finally show this brand-new oil painting of handsome lad Jerry in its completed state, and I hope you’ll enjoy the change from the previous ‘in progress’ post. The main development has been to give a sense of the atmosphere of late afternoon sun shining orange through the west window of the room, casting lilac shadows and unexpected reflections from the large mirror just glimpsed at the right side. There is no true white in this painting: even the glint in Jerry’s right eye has a touch of orange in it. Jerry was sitting on my disheveled bed surrounded by artworks I love; a head of a boy by Christian Bérard from the 1930s, contemporary works by David Jester, Daniel Barkley, Lamont O’Neal and my own recent portrait by Bill Bighon. On top of the antique Japanese book tansu that I use as a night stand there is a book, a modern lamp and a beautiful bronze by Jean-Ossaye Mombur from 1881, called Saved from Drowning. This bronze has lived beside my bed in London and in San Diego and it’s a favorite piece of mine. Thanks again to my handsome model, and when Jerry was at the studio recently we did studies for a new piece that I’ll begin in a short while." Binnie, April 2023.
