Chimpanzees and Roses, ink, gouache and spray paint on paper, 65 x 50 cm, 2012
I did a series of ink drawings in 2012 of monkeys and still lifes. One day I wasn't sure what to draw saw I bought some roses and old vases (you can find cheap crystal vases quite easily in Prague) and I started drawing them but I added monkeys and other elements from my imagination. I use three or four different kinds of ink. This one is unique in the way I added some gouache to it, but that's tricky to do because the gouache can flake off. I like the expressions on the faces of the chimps, like they were bored or unsure what to do sitting there with those roses. It's supposed to be funny but also suggest the human dignity of monkeys, or the monkey dignity of humans, and roses of course always fade, the memento mori quality of still life painting. Life comes and goes and we live like foolish chimps uncertain what it all means.
If you'd like to see more of my work, check out the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/lawrence.wells/
And my book Bohemian is available on Amazon.