 |
Coconut Club
20" x 24" oil on linen 2013
Private Collection, Florida |
The idea for this painting came from a visit to Mizner's Monkey Bar in Boca Raton, Florida, four and a half years ago. Laura and I were in town for the opening of my retrospective at the Museum and the bar was in our hotel. The decor intrigued me and we stopped by for a drink, together with a dear friend of ours, Annie. Here's a photo of the place and of the quick sketch I made that evening:
 |
| Mizner's Monkey Bar Boca Raton Resort and Club |
 |
Annie at the Monkey Bar
3" x 4 1/2" 17 March 2009 pencil on paper
|
I liked the composition and pinned the sketch to my drawing wall when I returned to the studio. I'm not sure why it took so long before I actually got around to making the painting, but then it's always been an enigmatic process. Some ideas move along fairly quickly, others percolate a few months or a year, and my most recent large painting, Interior at Night, was on my mind for forty years.
In late July, the sketch finally received my full attention; two weeks and four drawings later, the composition and the size were settled. I didn't make any significant changes to the initial concept, and always had a strong sense that the background would be a harmony of red and orange tones, energized by the one cool note of the dress.
In late July, the sketch finally received my full attention; two weeks and four drawings later, the composition and the size were settled. I didn't make any significant changes to the initial concept, and always had a strong sense that the background would be a harmony of red and orange tones, energized by the one cool note of the dress.
Below is one of the drawings for the painting:
 |
Coconut Club
16" x 20" 5 August 2013 pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse
|
