"Reflect"

Using a photo reference from the hugely popular blog on Facebook "Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton, I painted this piece as part of a series of illustrations highlighting individuals up and down New York City.

Having been born and raised in New York, I moved to Florida in 2013 and felt homesick, so painted out the gorgeous characters that Brandon captured to help me settle into the move.

The original photograph presented a young woman who looked extremely delicate and in deep contemplation. I love that photo so much. I decided to make her a feature of a painting and to try and capture the moment of reflection. Her soft expression is juxtaposed against a dark gritty background and helps highlight the lighting and colors of her jacket, which I thought was a success.