Dimitri

Hong Kong - Private Collection.

'Dimitri the Money God' was a Commission for a very extraordinary Chinese backpacker named Wong  Lai-Yin (or Alfie as we knew him) who came to stay at el Casa de Zingaro for a week or so after a 9 month wonder-lust-globe-trotting-mission. My brother and he had met in Costa Rica while on an expedition together. 

He described the vision for his painting to me in his characteristic broken English;  "Is yellow being.........not sure if man or woman.........maybe a lot of pretty women round him........not a lot of symbol........he is money god........ya". 

I think it is safe to say hat I was totally mystified as to what he meant so I ended up doing something a little different. 

At the time of posting this I imagine that Alfie is in an airplane somewhere over Bhutan, the painting, safely rolled up in his battered backpack. He said, while walking out the door with a massive grin, that he would take care of it and hang it on his bedroom wall in his family's 5th floor Hong Kong apartment........I liked the idea very much.