Some thoughts

This painting is a tribute to the man I knew for just two years before he passed away: my dearest friend Steven Oprinsen.

He had some good friends and some bad.

He claimed to have known Brad Pitt, who is said to have painted jeans of his. He met him at a small bakery in Cannes or St.Tropez or somewhere in that area and later Brad came to visit him in what is now De.Studio.

I called Steven the Picasso of the Low Lands. He called his art of symbols Pop Art 2.0.

He painted and drew angels too. His lines were very fine and solid, he had a steady hand.

Red roses are red but Royal Blue was his true favorite color. Actually he loved all colors, but if you have to pick one... And gold.

The tube of Old Holland Royal Blue that contained the paint used in this painting - in the background layers and visible still on the sides - went up to heaven with Steven (I put it in his breast pocket).

Steven is love, a pain in the ass, yes, but most of all love.

The heart resonates through all.

He wore glasses but in this painting I wanted to see his eyes. I got remarkable feedback on that from viewers, mostly from people who didn't know Steven.