Addiction

This is an old student work that so many people still love. It is an acrylic painting that I pulled an all nighter to finish back in 93'. The figure was drawn from a clothed model and she was wearing a heart charm around her neck. When I sketched the model I drew vines all over the figure right away, just a spontaneous thought. I didn't know what I was painting at the time, but the title just hit me. It actually frightened me. And it was greatly in response to my then ex-girlfriend, her drug problem and that I was addicted to her memory even though she turned my world upside down. It was the first time I painted vines which are still a very big motif in my art. I recently began several oil painting versions of this, still trying to create beauty from a bad memory...BTW I got over her a long time ago.
I just got it professionally photographed and plan on making prints, only took me 14 years and the fact that it's my most popular painting.