It has taken me five years to complete this painting. It all started in 2015 when I took my dog for a walk and decided to make a fortuitous stop at some new friends´ house. During the visit I took some pictures of the daughter in the family while she was playing with my dog.
One year later I was flipping through my digital picture library. In spite of poor technical quality this picture caught my eye. The somewhat inscrutable smile of M reminded me of the Girl With a Pearl Earring and Mona Lisa. Disclaimer: I do not in any way compare my work with the works of Vermeer and da Vinci other than that my unintended model M sure can compete with the models in these iconic paintings.
In 2016 my art teacher gave us students an assignment to make sketches based on a theme. I think the theme was “A Memory”. My sketches did not represents any specific moment in time. They were a representation of my feelings of vulnerability and anxiety as my children were experiencing some tough challenges in their individual lives during this time. The girl's gaze was filled with confidence, promising me that everything will be okay.
I never thought the art of taxidermy would be at display in my home. But as an artist you never know what kind of props you might need. To me a kid deer symbolizes both vulnerability and anxiety.
Sketch No. 1, pencil, 2016.
Sketch No. 2, pencil, 2016.
On April 7, 2017 I worked in my studio when I was reached by the news of the terrorist attack on Drottninggatan, one of the busiest shopping streets in Stockholm. Five persons were killed. After the initial shock I felt sadness for the victims and then - I felt anger. What makes a person so detached of human decency so he can comfortably run over unsuspecting people with a truck, aiming to kill as many as possible? As I continued sketching, I felt the need for a more relentless and self-confident animal to accompany the girl. I swapped the deer cub for a fox.
This fox will not let anyone violate the laws of justice and compassion.
Girl with fox, pastel on paper, 2017.
Well, I didn’t follow through with the ideas. Not until 2019 as I was preparing for an exhibition in Rome 2020. The theme of the exhibition was to celebrate the family. Remember, originally the girl and the fox represented the feelings of a worried mother how loves her children but often feel helpless in her ability to help them. In those moments you need a strong reassurance that everything will work out in the end. And you need a cunning but good-natured ally by your side.
In my next blog post, part two of The Evolution of a Painting, you can read about the technical side of creating this painting.
Sketch, 2019, oil on canvas.