East – West was the second concept painting my mother did using my brother Christopher’s girlfriend, Caroline Broadhurst, as the model. When she was visiting us, my mother loved her beauty and her long blond hair and noticed the similarity and contrast with the ladies in the Japanese scroll that we had hanging in our living room. The scroll and the Japanese Geisha doll were acquired while my mother lived in Japan, see her biography for details. Although, my brother had left to go to university in the US, my mother stayed in touch with Caroline and arranged for her to sit for this painting shortly after she had sat for another called 1870 – 1970.

In the diary entries you will notice that my mother includes the canvas size of 28″ x 36″ followed by two exclamation points as this would have been a large canvas for her at the time and expensive in terms of both time and materials, especially for a work that wasn’t a paid commission.

The painting depicts Caroline wearing the quintessential style of the time, long straight hair, colorful mini skirt and stylish full length boots. A striking contrast to the elaborate and flowing robes of the ladies in the scroll. However, notice the similarity of the drape of the hair with the upper figure in the scroll. I think the doll is there to provide something to do with the models hands and to act as a bridge between cultures. Often given as a gift to westerners, the Geisha doll’s costume and makeup allow one to look back in time at the artistry of the Geisha’s elaborate and stylized outfit in a more tangible way than any photograph could. As children we were strictly forbidden form playing with or even touching this doll which sat in a display case and was carefully packed, moved and setup again as we travelled between continents.

Diary Entries