This painting was a tricky one- I don’t usually paint backgrounds.
Also because this is from a tiny, blurry photo a friend took back in 2009, so the detail wasn’t to clear. I didn’t take any photos at the beginning because I didn’t think it would work out – but it did.
This photo is of the second and
third layers. I was really struggling with the angles of our faces and trying to get Gene’s laugh right.
This is the fourth layers- mostly working on the back ground- the blurs, lights and shapes. I’ve started work on the clock again because the face wasn’t white enough. I’m mostly working on all of these to avoid painting the polka dots on my dress.
But one Sunday afternoon I sat down, put on some music and just painted the damn polka dots! Took me two hours.
This is the final result- it’s undefined and unrefined in a lot of places, but I think that fits with the overall mood of the painting.