Man with Ridiculous Hair Painting

This was painted after a bad experience dating a woman. It was meant as revenge. For a few months I dated a woman who had the habit, after a few drinks, of criticising different things about my appearance: my ridiculous hair; my eyes too wide apart; my big ears. In those few months she got round to criticising everything. She meant it playfully, but being the over-sensitive, insecure artist, I didn't see it so. Anyway, after we went our separate ways, these playful insults haunted me, so I set about painting this. The intention was to write on it all the criticisms she'd made, with arrows pointing to the relevant part of my face. But having painted the background, I found I was rather fond of it, with its Rembrandt reference, and the postcards my date had given me. It's a nice reminder of an otherwise good time working in that London studio. And also I find myself not so hurt, and actually thinking very fondly of those months spent dating that woman.