Elizabeth Peyton

 

This picture was taken in a studio on Greenwich Street in New York that I had from February 2004 to the end of April 2004. The studio was across the street from Gavin Brown's Enterprise—the gallery I've shown with for the past ten years and for which I was preparing a show during those months. Being so close to the gallery, the studio had a very familial atmosphere, and more and more I was asking people to come by so I could paint them from life. Everyone who came into the studio ended up sitting in this chair by the window—everyone looked great in this corner—whether it was flooded with afternoon light or inky black from the nighttime. The light at the moment this picture was taken was my favorite time—when the sun would begin to disappear and leave me alone. The works in the background are some drawings of people I was working with while making the show. The large, colorful one is Andre 3000 in his double sunglasses, performing at the VH1 awards. There is a pencil drawing of Laura Owens taking a break from painting, playing computer games, and another light pencil drawing of Annette Aurell in the studio, in the chair I'm sitting on in the picture.