That shiny little circle at the head of a bathtub under the faucet catches my attention nearly every time I take a bath. I think the fact that I’m slowed down, resting, and soaking in soothing hot water in a smooth basin means that there is more space in my awareness for the little distorted skin tones swirling around in that circle.
I’ve dreamt of painting that tiny metal distortion mirror for years. This paining was inspired by that desire but turned into a study of… Lets see… Value, color, and form! Basically, what I’ve been trying to learn to capture better in all of my paintings since I started this daily work.
The “Improvisation” of this painting alludes more to the fact that I had to create my own plug for the gaping hole in this tub. I used a hand towel held down by one of my thrifted food storage jars that was made in Europe. It has some heft so it stayed put. You can see it glittering between my knees.
Something about this scene got me singing the Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Not a bad way to end a night.
Trying to photograph this painting in the poor hotel room lighting was a frustrating experience but the soft morning light coming through my window did the trick to catch the soft, milky quality and reveal the gentle contrast in this painting.
