Oilpainting “I love me”

began with what I’ll call “an exciting evening.” You know, when you and your partner have a “fun night,” things get a bit cheeky, and you end up taking some “sexy” photos that eventually get stored somewhere on your computer. Nothing wrong with that. You stumble upon the photo every now and then while looking for something else, and you think, “What if I…” So, I decided to make a drawing first, as you can see here. It quickly became clear that this needed to be a realistic painting, but I conveniently forgot that realism isn’t exactly my strength.

The result was, of course, a big mess—it didn’t look like anything. But with my Dutch stubbornness, I was too determined to give up. Maybe it could be a modern painting? All in red or red tones. I spent weeks struggling with it, constantly thinking, “This is going nowhere.” And yet… here’s the result.Oilpainting “I love me”

From the moment it was finished, it’s been hanging prominently in our living room. Yes, we see people raise their eyebrows, but… so what?

It did cause a bit of trouble when I showed the painting in a YouTube video—I was immediately banned. (I do have a new channel now, though. tps://www.youtube.com/@paulsnewartworld)

For many people, this is just too much—whether they see it as too much of a good thing or a bad thing. For me, though, it was likely a visual affirmation that I’ve learned to love myself. Yes, there will be people who disagree with me on that, or at least think it’s something you shouldn’t say out loud. Sorry, everyone, but I love myself… and so does John, as you can see here on Oilpainting “I love me” !