The Hidden (His)Story of "Paradise", My Most Favorite Painting.

Today I got a lovely story for you. And a secret that I did not tell many people up to now. It's a story of Paradise.

When I moved to Canada, after getting the idea in a pub from my buddy, I did not have much. No job, no place to stay, no friends and 2 grands in cash, which was not much, considering that beer cost 6 times more in Vancouver than in Prague.
I'm a kind of guy who thrives on challenges so this felt great. For few more weeks I continued sleeping on the couch of a friend of a friend of a friend. Then I migrated between a couple of living rooms for three months, before I had enough payslips to show so that I could rent my own apartment. That finally gave me my own space where I could paint.

Of course I could not afford the rent of one bedroom apartment in downtown Vancouver alone, so I lived with my new buddy James. I had the living, he had the small room. In that little space of mine, I did it all- slept, cooked, threw in parties, wrestled with girls and most of all- I painted.

Did you notice the meditating woman on the stone facing the sunset?

During those times, early 2011, one large painting saw the day of the light. Two years later this same piece became basis of what I think is one of my best paintings to this date- Paradise.

As I said- not many people know the history of this painting, and they have no clue that a completely different image could still be uncovered from the original layers of oil paint.
So here is my “secret”. This is how “Paradise” looked from 2011-2013:

As you can imagine, my mindset was in a different place back then than what it is now. I still think a naked kissing couple in the middle of pristine nature is a beautiful theme. But firstly: the delivery (composition, colours, contours) could be better and secondly: what came later was definitely way more powerful.

When I got my first art studio in early 2012 I put the painting in storage and forgot all about it. Until one sunny summer day. I was in my studio, getting hot under the roof, thinking of hitting the beach. What hit me instead, out of the blue, was a vision of a new painting, new version of Paradise. I saw it with stunning clarity and it left me with uncompromising yearning to start painting it right away. It was 3:30 pm on Friday, and building manager was just leaving the studios. I ran downstairs and caught him at last possible moment to get the painting out of the storage before he disappeared for the weekend.

The only photo I possess that shows the remains of the previous and birth of the new vision.

What followed was one of the finest art romances I lived to this date. You know, when you paint something that was given to you the way it was given to me- in a vibrant moving alive vision, it's like having a date with God. You forget the sunny beach, the beer patios filled with pretty girls, the calls from your friends. You dive right in it and let yourself being divinely drowned. You paint until you can't stand anymore. You don't sleep much and you race back to studio early morning the next day just to continue manifesting that beauty you felt in your heart.

The only thing on your mind is the joy of creating.

Day 2, right in it!

This is what came out of this romance. Until today, this painting lifts my spirits whenever I look at it, which is unfortunately not that often, because I gave in to pleadings from a wellness centre on Granville Street, where it is exhibited for benefit of more people.

Paradise in all its 79x78 inches grandeur:

Obviously it looks different in person than on a photograph.
Art always strikes you the most face to face, as anything else in existence.

I hope that the expression of what I ended up naming "Paradise" makes you feel good too. There's no better reason for art then that- to make people feel good. And make us remember something precious we forgot.

Have a lovely moment,

Much Love,

Jan
@jankasparec