Inspiration for this painting and a collection of paintings I am working on around people – stems from my love of the figure and figure drawing. I’ve spent some time drawing from the live model over the years and although this isn’t something I practice right now, I found myself wanting to find a way to incorporate elements of the figure into my painting.

These are imaginative pieces. I see them as mini vignettes, or stories that I hope the viewer can get lost in. They are partially sourced from images in fashion magazines. The images give me a framework for my imagination to unfold. I change things up, switch colors, take things away and just go with it.

In this piece “La Parisienne” I connected with the spirit of sitting at an outdoor cafe and reflecting. Although, I’ve never been to France or Paris I got that feeling while painting this. I have always liked the ambiance of that location and have been to other parts of Europe in my lifetime. In this scene I was drawn to an element of mystery. The woman could be waiting for someone or just treating herself to something special. We don’t know and that’s where the story can begin…

Categories: Interiors, New Paintings, PeopleTags: art, art gallery, colorful paintings, contemporary art, contemporary women artists, expressionism, fine art, France, oil paintings, paintings of people, paris, rendered impressions, women artists