1966
 
Oil on canvas
Signed Sven and dated '66
36 ins x 24 ins
91.5 cms x 60.9 cms
Framed
 
Exhibited at the Shave Green exhibition at St. Barbe Museum & Art Gallery in 2003.
 
The image of the first Gypsy Sven saw in the Forest (Rosie Smith) always haunted him: 
he recalled ‘…a young woman wearing a red skirt and a thick black plait of hair hung over one shoulder and on to her yellow blouse, and at the end it was tied with a violet rag. Her face was almost black with high cheekbones and her eyes long and dancing...’ 
 
This mysterious and moving oil was painted during a period when Sven was particularly inspired by religious symbols and had also been writing a manuscript bringing Dorset, Forest and Gypsy themes together.