Ay carumba! El Diablo of the Purple Hoo Hoo! I love painting dancers and so when I decided to paint The Cowboy taking a little R&R at a tavern, I needed the most perfect distraction. For me, that meant the fantastic Pearl Primus. Pearl could snake her legs around in midair like, well, a snake. So, when I painted The Cowboy entering the bar, this first thing in his face is Pearl’s incomparable tootsie and fab gam. I had painted for 12 hours building up contrast, detail and color intensity on her foot since it was the focal point of the painting.
The Incomparable Pearl Primus
Dizzy at the end, I simply turned the painting upside down to view my mistakes later. My son was coming home, so I busied myself with cleaning and shopping and cooking. When he finally came, we walked upstairs to see the painting and I stood still. I’d painted purple panties on the tavern dancer, hadn’t I? Hadn’t I? You see a lot of mistakes when you turn your painting upside down, and even though I was tired, I thought I was looking at a big one. I texted my daughter/partner in crime to come by and give me some feedback. Arriving the next morning, she looked and said with characteristic bluntness, “That’s a purple vagina.”
Not what I was going for. Back to the easel we go. I’ll post a photo of it when it’s done, but for now, it’s for too *unintentionally* graphic to share with you here. Oops!
Pardon Me Ma'am by Sheila Pringle
Update: Pearl is somewhat more appropriate now and ready for sale. Check her out!