Elegance and power - "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

Behind this painting is one of my favourite stories. But if you'd rather make up your own story and not be influenced by mine, skip over the next paragraph!

Detail from "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

My version of the story behind the painting
There was a very elegant party, perhaps at the end of the year, in a big city, and someone was not being very nice to the other guests. The hostess wasn't particularly pleased with the behaviour of this unpleasant person but couldn't do anything about them due to taking care of her other guests. A moment came during the night in which she realised she could use the power of flirtation to get rid of the only negative person in the party. The person followed her flashing eyelids and suggestive glances into a dark room far away from the rest of the group. She made the person sit down on a chair, then watch her back away while dancing, reaching behind to unfasten her bra strap but instead taking out and key while at the same time kicking a door which slammed closed between them, locking the person into the room. On the other side, the hostess dangles the key before the person, saying with a smile "Everybody thinks you went home". She then turns and ignores the demands of the person while walking back to her champagne in the party.

Detail from "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

The making of "Everybody thinks you've gone home"
The origin of this painting is a photograph where my wife is getting herself prepared for a New Year's party. In the photograph she's holding some makeup and brushing her cheeks with the other hand. I didn't have the idea for the key until afterwards, but at the start I knew she had to be holding something. I really liked the pose in the photograph and the clothes my wife was wearing. My initial thoughts were to put a gun in her hand but I thought that would be too obvious, and I'd already painted "Let me think". So I took some more reference photos with a key later and it fitted in really well. I then came up with the story behind the painting and lastly the title itself - which was "I told them you went home" for a while until I changed it to the current title which I like (of course) much better.

This painting is for sale. 7000 swedish kronor.
A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are also available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail viagary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.