“Kingsmen Pool (detail)” ... West Vancouver Archives
When moving from a scene or a photo to a painting, I always begin by taking things out. I boil it down to the elements that interest me, but will still give you the essence of the scene. My paintings often reference art history, pop culture, or literature. I don’t usually have a title in mind when I start to paint, but in this case I do and it’s called, “The Swimmer”. This is a short story written by John Cheever. Published in 1964, it fits right into this piece’s time frame, and its themes of aging, drinking, and financial ruin provide a solid “undercoat” for my painting. If you haven’t read the story, do. Or, you could also listen to it by copying and pasting this link into your browser:
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fiction/anne-enright-reads-john-cheever
“Painting of the Day” - The end is near countdown: 9