Bootham Culmination (or not)

So, we are approaching the final stroke – the coup de grace. Jonathan will I’m sure be relieved: he will get his life and his sitting room back, whereas I will be spared the expense of ordering several tubes of Flake White in order to keep up with his extravagant hair growth! It is remarkable stuff which I’ve had the privilege of watching race luxuriantly ceiling-ward over the past few weeks.

It is always difficult to bring a portrait to its conclusion because nothing remains constant; particularly light, which changes from minute to minute. This can be frustrating and indeed, bring work to a temporary halt. But at some point a kind of natural inertia takes over: I spend more and more time looking, and less time doing, until I grind to a halt. It is not a conscious decision; more of an inevitability and this is the stage I’m at now.

Back in the studio in Ripon I can see there are some things I will change so yes: there will be another sitting though it will, I suspect, be a very short one.