Many of you have written to me lately.
Some to share their feelings, some to extend their compassion, and others to try and find some comfort in getting another token of their love for him.
Prince died recently, leaving a taste of unfinished business behind him.
He had much more to give.
In my case, on top of everything, there was actual unfinished business…
As you may know, I had the luck of working with him, through his team (no, one does not just work with Prince…). I got to sell him the rights to a couple of my images. Already a dream come true. Twice.
But there was more to come. Much more.
Thanks to my friend LV (the graphic deigner behind many of the images coming from NPG lately), I was considered to decorate the main recording studio in Paisley Park.
Let's read this again: me, decorating the main recording studio in Paisley Park.
This, would have been the closest I would ever get to paint my very own Sistine Chapel.
I will never get to finish it, but at least, now, I get to share it with you all.
The name of this studio is Purple Rain (what else ?…) and it was to be the theme of the paingings. Purple Rain, from the 1st Avenue to the movie, to the Mann's theatre, to the tour… the whole story.
They gave me a rough sizing of the room (it's huge, by the way, like 10m by 15m, and more almost 5m under the ceiling) and a few (very bad) pictures.
We started in January, just a bit before he started to setup the Piano and a Microphonetour. Just before he would come to Australia (no, I didn't get to show anything to him in person, and yes, I tried and I was totally expecting him to show up at my studio in Bondi. Why not !).
The first sketches were not approved, and needed rework: "Not enough colours" they said :).
The tour got most of his attention by then, the project would wait.
The tour never ended.
Here are a few images that have been submitted (it was only the sketching phase) some quick montage on the photos they provided and some images from a 3D rendering I had made for the project.
I hope you'll enjoy the sneak peek. I surely enjoyed working on it.
I haven't been able to paint any Prince image since his passing.
After talking with a few fans, I decided I would accept commissioned orders:
if, through my art, someone can find a bit of reconfort,
it will be, by far, the best use I can put my skills to.
Peace, and be wild.
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