Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Acrylic on 3-D Shaped Stretched Canvas

96.5" x 96 " x 7"

245 cm x 244 cm x 18 cm

Many women have a love affair with stilettos. Men like me admire how stiletto heels make women and their legs look sexy!

The Technical Details

The clean lines, vibrant fuchsia color, and iconic shape of Girls Just Want To Have Fun give many viewers the illusion of simplicity. In actuality, behind the canvas, it's quite complicated. I spent more than 2 years sketching this work before I was satisfied with the proportions. After that I made a full scale pattern and didn't like the look of it. I made changes and another full scale pattern. Finally I was happy with the shape. I decided to create the painting in 4 sections, one of which, the stiletto heel, has less depth than the other sections, like an actual stiletto heel.

I created the stretcher framework out of 67 pieces of wood. I made 140 saw cuts, including 53 curves and angles other than right angles. I drilled 236 pilot holes for the screws to hold it together. I had 3 drills in front of me, 2 with different length drills for drilling and countersinking the holes, and one as a power driver for screwing in the screws. Then I used 236 screws to assemble the stretcher framework into the 4 sections.

I attached 4 large pieces of canvas to the stretcher framework with countless staples. The canvas was primed with 3 coats of gesso. I applied at least 3 layers of paint to the canvas. I drilled an additional 24 holes in the stretcher framework and used 12 bolts, 24 washers, and 12 nuts to assemble the 4 sections into the finished painting.

The Story Behind Girls Just Want To Have Fun

“Why did you make a painting of a woman’s high heel shoe?” That’s a question I occasionally get. I never get that question from a woman who is wearing or who often wears high heels. Those women “get it.” The question usually comes from women in sneakers or hiking boots. Sometimes men ask the question even though they think most women are shoe-crazy.

I find that women who love shoes usually have loved them since they were little girls. They have deep emotional, often subconscious, feelings which come up when they see or even think about stiletto heels. They know they look better, more professional, more elegant, and sexier than in flats or, heaven forbid, sneakers.

From a man’s perspective, I think high heels make a woman’s legs look great. The curve of the calf is longer and sexier, and her legs look longer. The heels show she cares how she looks, and that’s great. For me, the no-maintenance look, no makeup and short hair that needs no attention, is overrated. I love the classic movie star look, careful makeup, long hair, elegant clothes, hourglass figure, and high heels. It’s elegant and sexy. And some of the smartest women on the planet, including my wife, look that way.

I chose to create a 3-D shaped stretched canvas (3DSSC) painting of a stiletto pump because I think it looks great, and as a practical matter I could create it. A strappy heel wouldn’t work in my medium. As it was, I spent years working on the proportions, studying my wife’s heels and magazine ads for the latest beautiful shoes, and sketching until I finally had a sketch I liked.

On another level, I like to create beautiful paintings. Especially paintings that may make someone feel good. I often address complex relationships, love, and loneliness in my paintings, and I try to offer something positive. I believe people are reminded daily of their problems, and that it may be helpful to offer some possible solutions.

The huge size of my stiletto pump 3DSSC paintings increases, I believe, their impact. The fun, sexy, or elegant colors of the painting also contributes to the impact. And, of course, the 3-D contributes to the impact.

If you love shoes, I hope you’ll want one of my stiletto pumps in your home or office.