Is this old house the route to paradise? But that is truly the name of the street the house lived on. 

I use the past tense, because this beautiful historic building with handmade tiles inside has been demolished - if you look carefully you can see the markers for the new building which will be built in its place. 

This house has a fascinating history, told to me by a local. It was the home of a couple who "had to get married" because he had got her pregnant. He was a dubious character and worked in the red light district of Basel. When the daughter was old enough, he took her to work there too... She eventually married an customer who was a person of high official rank in the French part of Switzerland. They had two children. However, once he hit his mid-life crisis he felt he needed a newer younger model by his side, so she was replaced. She moved back to Basel. The house she grew up in was offered for sale. Unfortunately she fell foul of an unscrupulous dealer who bought it for next to nothing to tear it down. She died of cancer. 

So there you go, a piece of local history. I couldn't resist but paint it - though I have to say I painted it before I knew the story!

I stretch all my canvases myself, they have a hand-nailed edge and are primed three times with diluted gesso. I use European linen. 

I will send this atmospheric painting to you carefully wrapped so it doesn't get damaged in the post. I'm sure you will be able to look at it and wonder more about who lived there, how they lived there and more.