How long does it take to paint a painting?

One of the most common questions that I get is" How long does it takt to paint a painting?" And I guess I´m not alone getting it. It´s a tricky one though. For example: To paint this orange striped painting with three figures it took about 7 years if I count the time from my first photo of the mannequins in the window screen in Rome, to the time when the painting was actually ready. I really can´t say when I got the idea and decided to try it out. And the process can vary from painting to painting. But usually I have a picture or an idea to start from, then collect some more, compose something new out of it in a sketch, or photoshop, or both. Then I paint it and improvise some of it along the way. Sometimes it works sometimes not...And so the process starts all over again.