Further to my post on portraiture and my work on the Kahlo reinterpretation, I've begun another, and this time I'm honouring Max Beckman. This new work follows the elliptical format of Frida, taking only a section of the original painting to reinterpret in reclaimed textiles. Max Beckman was one of my first inspirations and influences as a young art student in the early 1980's. I was painting still-lives and one of my lecturers asked if I knew Beckman's work - which I didn't, but soon found a large monograph in the art school library. I was particularly drawn to his portraits, both of himself and other people and the Self Portrait with Saxophone of 1930 was and remains my favourites. I've always loved the contrast between Beckman's dark brooding masculinity and his choice to paint himself wearing a satin dressing gown (or smoking jacket) and pink pyjamas (or is it a leotard?). And now, all these years later I have finally found the space to honour this work by reinterpreting it in beautiful vintage silks and velvets, as well as some needlework. An equally important purpose of this body of work is to create a portrait of the needlework itself. Below are a few photos of the work in progress in my studio, with more to come.