Growing up, I loved looking at my parents’ numerous books and one in particular was a favourite; “An Illustrated History of France” by Andre Maurois. I was quite transfixed on one particular painting of Madame Pompadour – Mistress to Louis XV.  What I read later was that she was an intelligent woman, raising the status of women in a male-dominated society. She acted as a key political figure and she played a vital role influencing cultural and architectural development in France. This led me to explore other courtesans throughout history and it appears that most were intelligent and cultural women. I wanted to create their essence in my own artwork.