Tempus was painted over the winter of 2014. My partner Samantha sat for the painting. We discussed several different possibilities for attire. Samantha helped me set-up a time-lapse of the painting to be filmed over 100 hours. In her spare time she likes to read magazines and we decided on the page to be shown. 

We both like Persian rugs and decorative pieces. For Tempus I managed to source a large decorative rug believing you can make a dilapidated rug look like gold if you paint it well. 

Once when Samantha worked for Aljazeera News in Qatar I would spend my time reading. I read a lovely book called the "The Carpet Wars" set in the 990's chronicling the middle eastern rug industry. I think about these memories a lot; in particular me then new found appreciation for rugs. 

The oriental rug and its influence in renaissance art inspires me. I like the difference between handmade and machine made rugs and how you can tell a great rug by it's asymmetry and 'mistakes' made by the hand. 

Zarahn Southon 

September 2020