"Luci" - Artist notes
A portrait of a friend (and my largest painting so far)
“Serenity, otherworldliness, mystery" - Luci
I had asked for Luci some words that she would want her portrait to portray. Earlier that day she posted a photoshoot on Instagram from when she walked at Telfar’s 20th Anniversary show in NYC in June. I’d been wanting to paint a portrait of another one of my friends after the first one I did last year, and finally, we figured out what reference photo to use. Telfar’s inventive design was a perfect complement for the piece.
It was her three words and the essence of Luci’s unique personality that I kept in mind to eventually build the scene around the pose in her photo. I had to pause often and reevaluate the piece to figure out how to bring out the quality I wanted it to have, and honestly it was challenging. This was my first time working with such a big canvas (40in x 30in), and I kept needing to adapt my vision for the larger scale proportions.
In this painting, Luci is in a mystical, magical world. She’s in a moment of rest. She’s at peace. She’s unafraid. She’s basking. Her surroundings are sparkling, shimmering, and growing. There’s so much to see that she’s ready to take on.
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