This spring I decided to go out of my comfort zone and paint this portrait of a wonderful lady I saw in an open air market near Siem Reap, Cambodia. She was so gracious in allowing me to take a photograph of her. I loved her beautiful face framed by such a wonderfully striped and checked turban. I couldn't resist the patterns and colors of her blouse and slacks. There she perched carefully selecting from amongst the colorful and fresh vegetables so artfully placed in piles along the dusty road.
Although I have never painted a portrait before, this was such a fun experience. I enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, I had to laugh because when I finished the painting, I saw that I had used a pretty standard European model for the structure of the portrait. Think of European portraits of nobles standing or sitting in front of a draped column with a landscape in the far distance and surrounded by objects that say something about who they were. Here is the column, the drape, the objects. Having trained as an art historian and working in a museum, I guess I can't get to far away from what I know! I also had a small giggle because even though my Cambodian lady actually was picking the red apple, I hadn't really paid attention to this when I painted it. Associations and layers of meaning? Just a passing though. I hope you like her as much I.
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