Three things it does fast: ground mustard yellow, sharpen walnut, wake bedroom. The wall stops being a blank stretch and starts feeling like the warmest part of the room. Hang it above a bed, a sideboard or a writing desk, at a size big enough for the figure to read clearly from the doorway. It sits happily with warm brown timber, aged leather, linen and cream ceramics, and it flatters chalky off-white or deep green painted walls. Keep the area around it simple. Don’t crowd it with busy pattern, bright poster art or shiny chrome, and skip a cluster of small frames either side. One piece, given room, does the work. On fine-art paper the soft pastel strokes and chalky background keep their texture.