
Mr Tilley regrets …

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Mr Tilley regrets …
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Yesterday it was suggested I paint nudes as they might have been 20 years earlier. This may not be as far out as it may seem. I am sure Lucien Freud’s models would welcome it. ( The artist must have his little joke )
My friend the stripper Tempest Storm kept her figure, and performed well into her 70’s. In her performances she successfully de-emphasized`any minor wrinkles and the ineluctable effects of gravity.
This is my 4’ x 8’ portrait of Tempest, painted for the Mitchell Brothers establishment, back in the day. In her performances years later, you would hardly notice a difference.
Without giving away any secrets, I could adopt some of her mojo while painting what was before me. Like a techie applying a filter to alter a photograph, I would apply a ”Tempest filter” as i worked.
Say, maybe I’m in business! To get started with a client list, I should perhaps ask Lucien Freud for referrals!
I am often asked about my models. Some are reluctant. Others are quite forward. One in particular , who repeatedly declined to be painted back in the day, told me 20 years later that she deeply regretted not having such a record of her former glory.
She would have hung my painting in pride of place over the mantel to show her grandkids where they came from — her luscious former self!
Another lady, hearing this story, asked if I could paint a portrait of her as she was 20 years ago. What an intriguing idea. It would to a greater extent bring psychology into play.
Whatever the artistic merits, she suggested it as a business plan.