A quick note of thanks to you regarding “Nightstreet.” It reminds me of every city I’ve ever been to. After returning from Japan, I started planning my next trip: Amsterdam to Berlin.
My mom had been to Amsterdam and thought I should know that the laws were different there. Mainly, that coffee shops sold pot and prostitution was legal. She didn’t have judgement about that, but felt her twenty-one-year-old son should know what to expect.
Curious, I went to several coffee shops and walked through the red-light district. Both were completely different than I thought they’d be. The coffee shops were totally chill and the red-light district was small, clean and quiet. There were sections with beautiful women and sections with “more affordable” ones.
Room after room, they stood behind glass doors, mostly naked, looking like mannequins for sale. I was more curious about the details than the ladies. What they do for the money, how much did they charge, did they ever get mistreated or humiliated and…were the rooms sound proof? I left after a few minutes and walked down the street in the rain. The only guy without an umbrella.
When I came home, I told my mom about the trip, including my tour of the red-light district. She asked about my favorite memory, I said, “Every city I went to.”
She had three of your prints and knew I liked your work too, so she suggested I pick out one of your paintings for my birthday. When I saw “Nightstreet” it brought back memories of my trip to Amsterdam, but also every major trip I’d taken from the time I was kid.
“Nightstreet” is above the desk in my room and I appreciate the “places it takes me back to.”
Thanks for being a killer artist. Awesome stuff!