I was inspired to do this painting after finding an old acquaintance of mine on the web. This is a painting of Bruce Johnson. Bruce is an amazing singer who I met in Paris, France in 1987. Bruce and I were Marines and served at the American Embassy at different times in Paris. When Bruce got out of the Marines he decided to make Paris his home. While there, Bruce was active in the local jazz scene and afforded me an opportunity to sit in with him and his band at a jazz club near Les Halle called the Bouchons. Bruce needed a drummer and, at the time, I was honing my skills on the skins. That was a very unforgettable night. Some months later that year Bruce and I also appeared as extras in a movie starring Harrison Ford called 'Frantic'. This was a film directed by Roman Polanski. Those times in Paris were incredible. Back then I admired Bruce so much for taking risks and making a huge personal change in his life by settling down in Paris. Well, it's been more than 22 years and Bruce is still kicking in Europe. In many ways I wish I had ventured out and taken risks as Bruce did. Had I had the passion for art then as I now do, living in Paris would have been the perfect beginning to the art world at large.
Bruce is an incredible singer and is now living in London. Please check out his website: www.brucejohnson.co.uk
