Backdrops of the Paris Opera

I’ve been working on three large-scale theatre backdrops to be used as décor in people’s homes, or for parties. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages, ever since I used to paint them for my trade-show booths. I bought a 50-yard roll of pre-gessoed canvas, and have been hanging 10-foot lengths at the back of my studio. (I put in a metal rail across the top of the ceiling so that I could use magnets to hang them). I’m used to working so small, it was liberating to work so large. Most of all I love that I don’t have to plan out what I am going to paint, I just start sketching with one of the colours I’m going to use.

For this first series, inspired by my recent trip to Paris, I painted different views of the Paris Opera. After two years of no travelling, all I want to paint are scenes of my favourite places to travel, and most of all I’m craving city-scenes where people get to dress up. In the “Balcony” panel, I painted people dressed up in top hats and ballgowns, very loosely, but I wanted to show formality again. These are on their way to New York, where they’ll be sold at John Derian in his shop on East Second Street.