Shortly after my young friend, Bozhi graduated from middle school, I saw her with a friend skipping down the street as young children do, despite the fact that they no longer appeared to be children. I wanted to paint her at that time of life when she was on the cusp of womanhood. I thought about how to portray that time, in a way that would make her age clear to a viewer who didn’t know her. I decided to portray her as a daydreaming student who should be studying her textbook, but is preoccupied with other thoughts. She came to model for sketches and photos while I worked out the composition. I did the still life portion from life at my table where she had modeled. When I emailed her a photo of the finished painting at 2pm one day, she responded so immediately that I laughed out loud, imagining her with her phone hidden under her desk in class.
*Audobon Artists 75th Anniversary Show 2017, Salmagundi Club, New York City
*Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 120th Open Exhibition finalist, National Arts Club, NYC, Nov. 29 – Dec. 16, 2016, Ridgewood Art Institute Award for Excellence in Painting
*10th Biennial National Art Exhibition, finalist, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, Florida, Jan. 29 – March 12, 2016
*Richeson 75 Portrait/Figure 2015, finalist, Richeson Gallery, Kimberly, WI, Oct. 20-Dec. 5