Chris Gollon came across a sherry bar in Madrid, and as he entered he had to step over two unconscious men on the floor with chalk on their elbows. As he ordered sherries at the bar they simply chalked the number you had–with actual chalk–onto the bar, to keep a tab before you paid. If you ordered more than 2 sherries, tapas started to arrive that kept the desire for sherry.
It soon became clear that the last act of the two unconscious men was to wipe their slate by erasing the chalk with their elbows. As a painter attracted to all things Spanish, the history of art, the bodegas, the literature, cuisine and the wines; as well as having an interest in human folly, that bar scene was a gift, as this painting shows.
