THE DEAD TULIP TELLS THE STORY

I began painting and hanging out in pubs with my British artist friend Patrick Caulfield. Going anywhere with Patrick was an adventure. When we walked down the street he would stop when a shape or a color caught his eye. Then passers-by would try to figure out what Patrick was looking at. When it came to talking about paintings Patrick was a man of few words. After a few minutes at an exhibition he would wink which meant it was time to leave. Then it was back to the pub. Years later when Patrick came to New York I persuaded him to look at my paintings. He lingered over Benefit Dinner. “I really like this painting because it’s evocative, not explicit. The treatment of the woman’s dress is like Vuillard and I like the way the man seems to be looking at her looking. I also like the background and the still life of the tulips.” I was excited that Patrick had so much to say, and I asked him for a quote. Patrick looked at the painting again. Then he said, “The dead tulip tells the story.”