I had a crush on this model, can you tell?

This is another of my first oil painting studies.The colour is very pronounced in this one and I remember getting lots of looks from my fellow students who still didn’t know me.

I felt exhilarated at being an art student all over again but in such a new light. The environment of the Polytechnic in that first year of study was immense, exciting and seeped in history. We were in the heart of the city and next door to the Archaeological Museum.

My art training in Australia and a full degree hadn’t taught me anything about painting; I owed the Greek School of Art and my pre-training in a friend’s atelier in Athens with teaching me those skills.