BELLADONNA Painting

I was born in Africa and spent my childhood on the eastern Cape coast in the southern-most tip of Africa, but now I live in a remote area of the North Alentejo area of Portugal, close to the Spanish border and the province of Caçeres, Extremadura, Spain. I have participated in group exhibitions in Portugal and have had solo shows too I have always loved oil paints, their tactile qualities, and bold brushtrokes, artists like Matisse, and also Hockney, esp. the Expressionistic interiors that he painted in California, in the 1990's , also the portraits of his dachshunds.I also admire young artists like Elizabeth Peyton and Cecily Brown. I find subject-matter a dilemma sometimes and the debate over style v content, then I think, what the hell, style IS content, and the paint is the subject.