Armed with a kind of crazy technical and fearless confidence, I moved to Los Angeles and began my most frustrating, epic and satisfying work, "Denouement" [15]. My idea was to create a grand and powerful piece that would radiate the joy, release and contentment of being in love. Over a hundred studies of nudes, anatomical details, chairs, carpets, discarded clothes, and of atmosphere were drawn for the preliminary work. I used graphite, ink, pastel and, in one case, oil for these studies. The painting of the canvas took eighteen months of full-time work; the entire project took three years.
Parenthetically, I do not use photographs because I do not feel any stimulus from or emotional response to the medium. I did not anticipate how difficult an undertaking I had begun — to recreate love and contentment in light and color. The most demanding part of the project was the art of integrating a unique and spontaneous viewpoint, vast amounts of detail, empathy for the subject matter, the effect of glowing light and colors that would maintin an anxiety- and melancholy-free atmosphere. When "Denouement" was finished, I experienced a tremendous pride because I felt that I had communicated and forever captured in time, the joy, contentment and radiance of being in love.
I interrupted my work on "Denouement"
to make a painting of "Puccini"
[14],
the opera composer.
The painting is a salute to his soaring music,
and a gesture of gratitude for his helping
to support and sustain my wings.