DONKEY SLIPPERS, January 2026

I painted Donkey Slippers from observation, they are my 19 year old daughter's favourite slippers, based on Donkey from Shrek. When I first saw them I thought they were pointless clutter. Completely wrong.

For a while, the donkeys have appeared in the corners of paintings of my daughter. This is the first time they have starred as the sole subject and they deserve it. They are a great example of real-surreal, the everyday absurdity that is simply part of life. I love their cheeky exuberance, and the way they look straight back at you.

The red ground pushes through the grey-green of the donkeys, adding warmth and intensity. The paint is thick and gestural, the brushwork visible, an interesting tension with the cartoony-buffoony character of the slippers.

Acrylic on Stone Paper, 29 × 21 cm