I Want The Fairytale Pretty Woman by Mark Davies The Acorn Gallery

What a brilliant film ‘Pretty Woman’ is, so, so 80’s! With lines such as ‘I want the fairy-tale’ and ‘Cinda-fuckin-rella’ it was a must, oh and any chance to get an iconic car in and it’s got my attention. Like with other movies, this has been on my radar for several years and it is great to finally see it come to fruition. I have spoken before about how so many pieces have so many possible directions that you can take it in, and this is no different.  

I love to research before making a start and it was interesting to learn that there was a much darker ending pencilled in that involved drugs which got me thinking. Basically, I drew parallels with a much earlier ‘Storyteller’ piece ‘High Ho’ where the Princess lost her Prince through her addictions, and I have no doubt that it would look insane but very dark. Bloody hell, I want to get straight onto that but all in good time! My fear was that when I first mentioned that ‘Pretty Woman’ was on the line-up that the majority would be hoping for a wonderfully romantic piece and would end up spitting their chocolate covered strawbos out in disgust! Big mistake, huge!  

So, what we see is the stunning ‘Lotus’ parked up outside the beautiful hotel that are covered in the warmth of the setting sun. Key details from the film are laid out in the foreground for you to enjoy, whilst key moments from the movie are gently overlaid in the background. It is a really positive and cute piece that I really hope fans of the film will love, this is the one from this collection that I spend the most amount of time adjusting tones and colours to get the best effect and I am so pleased with the results, none more so probably than my production company who have gone through a forest worth of paper living with my diva-like obsessions with perfection.  

The focus was to create a piece that would simply celebrate the narrative and the amazing chemistry between the characters and the lead actors who played them so genuinely. It is an image that I hope will make you feel great and enjoy seeing out the references that I have placed. Yet there is a subtle element that symbolises how someone can be set free and find their wings through finding who, or what they love. Have you spotted it? I loved re-watching the movie, albeit scribbling notes and telling others ‘yeah, I’m just watching the football with a few beers! I had to reign my plans in a bit though, I wanted to really get into the minds of the characters, to connect with that chemistry and emotion. So, the options were hiring a Lotus or seeking out a pair of those thigh-highs on eBay! For those who follow me waffling on social media you may have heard that I had to pull out of a Marathon recently with a foot injury! I walked into a door, honest!  

I hope you enjoy a love affair with this piece and are happy ever after, for those dark-minded souls who want the fairy-tale, that is a chapter that will be written for sure, you know I’m fond of burning a rose petal or few!