Vers la Vie Nocturne
Vers la Vie Nocturne (2008)
18¼×24¼ Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold
After a long, hard day of being burdened by life's demands, he is ready to make some demands of his own. Making his way across the city of light, each raindrop washes away the facade of the proper businessman. In need of action and release, nothing will keep him from his destination, not even a downpour.
Whenever a client wants to commission a pastel painting similar to one of my existing works I try to figure out what aspects he likes about the work. Then, I look at where I can change the direction of the piece, as I am not really interested in simply duplicating one of my paintings. There needs to be something new in it for me. Where the guy in Rainstorm is walking defiantly in the rain, the figure in Vers la Vie Nocturne finds that the rain has ended, offering what seems to be a much more cathartic experience. He is heading away from the lights of the city into a darker, perhaps seedier area, shedding his respectable suit as he transitions from his daytime world and moves toward the nightlife.
