No Exit is the title of this painting as well as the classic play by Jean Paul Sartre.

Many people ask where I get my ideas to create new paintings and the explanation is – everywhere.
I often will peruse stock photography, looking for striking images. Pinterest is actually a great source of inspiration as I follow all sorts of art-related topics.
Recently, I ran across a photo which was so striking, I simply had to paint it and put my own spin on it. It was a photo very similar to what you see painted here, same basic set up, same kind of ugly color palette. The photo also contained an image of a man, hanging upside down, only he was facing the camera. I decided to replace that man with my man in the bowler hat, back to you, hanging upside down, hat still very much intact on his head.
There was something about the color scheme of this painting that reminded me of my grade school that had cinder block hallways that most times were painted about the same color as this newsletter. But for a brief period, they were this sickly kind of green you see reflected in the stairwell.
The harshness of the neon light was another thing I remember.
So this particular painting is more or less a recreation of a photograph, which, the moment I decided I was going to paint it, I knew the title of the painting had to be, “No Exit”.
Though the painting has little to do with the Jean Paul Sartre play, for some reason, the setting reminds me of a different kind of hell, where one is forever trapped in a building with no real exit and the world is literally turned upside down – which is actually how I painted the image of the man – with the canvas turned upside down.
The size of this painting gives it a dominance that immediately grabs your attention. It’s 36″ x 48″ and though I have no idea where this painting might ever actually hang, I do know that whoever might buy it would have a very striking image that would be sure to spark quite a few conversations.
We will see if this one ever manages to exit our home! Regardless, I like it simply because it is a strikingly weird visual.

Thanks for reading. You can view most of my recent paintings at https://bloodlinesart.com or you can purchase prints or items featuring my art at http://tom-blood.pixels.com If you or anyone else you know might enjoy reading about the art work I do and getting a behind-the-scenes look into my process, please  sign up for my newsletter at http://tblood.faso.com/email-newsletter … Happy November!