The Rainstorm Room

The Title of this painting is 'Summer Rainstorm In Haga'. 

A large gilt-framed mirror hangs on the wall beside an open window. The wet roofs of the houses seen through the window reflect the light from a gap in the otherwise dark sky. The mirror reflects the interior of the room. It is lit by a bedside lamp that equals in intensity the reduced light outside. On the bed is a nude girl. She seems to be somewhat prostrated by the oppressive late afternoon heat. 

Haga is an old working class district of Gothenburg, in Sweden.  

This is one of the biggest paintings that I've done ( around 4 X 5 feet). It conveys the feeling that I wanted, but there is something lacking in the composition*.

I've painted 2 other versions. With these I've kept the mirror to reflect parts of the room that would otherwise be difficult to include even with the impossible geometry. In the version at top right, I've used warm colours in the right half of the picture and cooler colours in the left, but not as dramatically as in the original. In the version beneath it, I've excluded a lot of  room to the right, but I think the effect of the unseen light source is still there.

 

*Maybe something is needed the fill the space on the reflected interior wall....a poster perhaps? :