Wild Things Artwork |
| "Sarah's Smile" |
"Sarah's Smile" is a commissioned pastel painting executed in December 2008.
I was asked to paint a "black & white" portrait from a small color snapshot Sarah's father had recently taken of her. I jumped at the chance to paint Sarah, as I found her smile to be absolutely delightful and the unusual overhead partial lighting was quite striking. Originally, I was going to omit that "highlighting" from the portrait, but as I worked I decided that the light actually works in the painting.
Sarah's smile seems to emanate from within her. I told her Dad that she looked as if she were absolutely pleased to be who she is. I've never met Sarah personally, but her Dad told me that was an apt analysis. That smile just glows. . . Sarah glows. It's almost as if she were emitting a light of her own, as light from above shines down on her.
Working in "black and white" could provide a dramatic strategy for focusing on this play of light, but I decided that a more subtle approach, using a monochromatic pastel palette of greys, would yield a more compelling and more natural portrait of Sarah.