The first ballerina painting I painted was destroyed by fire in a gallery in Sag Harbor last winter. This surrealistic painting with a a jumping figure and a too small door was an idea I’ve had in my mind a long time. I was therefore very happy when a collector asked me to paint it again.

To me, each motif is unique in my paintings and comes from a place in my mind which I do not have total control over. This form of inspiration makes it so much more interesting for me to create unique pieces, and I never just make a copy of another of my existing paintings. But in this case the original painting didn’t exist anymore, and I had some ideas on variations in details I’d like to add.

The result became Ballerina II, and I’m happier with this piece than with the first one. It will be on display at Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde Museum March 3-May 27 in Stockholm 2018.