Remorse

by David R. Darrow 6" x 8" (15.2cm x 20.3cm)
Oil on Panel SOLD Collection of Dan Medcalf
Indianapolis, IN – USA

About This Painting

I did this portrait of a friend and model, Stacey. I am calling the painting Remorse partly because it fits the mood of the pose, plus the style of the paint strokes. This is looser and more painterly than my usual work, but after being down for so many days, I just wanted to "get into the paint" again and just "feel" my way through the painting.

But Remorse comes to mind sometimes when I see Stacey. See, several years ago she was a waitress at a local restaurant — not a fancy place by any means. That was her living, between occasional modeling gigs she got.

One day she pulled up in our apartment complex in a brand new, black Explorer-type vehicle, looking somewhat stressed. "Well, look at you — stylin'!" I said, ignoring her expression.

She almost burst into tears. She told me she just bought it and cried all the way home from the dealership. "I don't know how I can afford this — but the salesman was so pushy."

I told her I was pretty sure she could take it back within 72 hours and get all her money back. She never did. I think she's still paying it off now, four years later.

But that day, she was the poster child for Buyer's Remorse.

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