When I was a junior in high school a good friend of mine, on whom I'd developed a significant crush, moved to Milwaukee, WI with her family. We kept in touch through years of writing letters, occasional visits, and a short stint in which she moved back to New Orleans for her first semester of college. Over that time my interest only grew -- and it became increasingly more mutual. Slowly our conversations turned to the possibility of one day being together, and she sent me a few pictures of herself in her college apartment. It was with those photos that it hit me that I didn't just love her for her creativity and compassion -- she was also stunningly beautiful. 

At the time I was living in an apartment with my brother in Uptown New Orleans, exploring new mediums, especially watercolors, pen & ink, and both in combination. I created a portrait in this style of my favorite image from her letter, which I still love dearly. It hangs in front of my desk and I see it every day as I work, staring back at me with that intense look that says “love long distance is hard.”

This piece is a reinterpretation, not of the source photo, but of the watercolor painting itself. I’ve always loved the hair of the original piece in particular, so a lot of effort was put into making the hair on this piece equally absorbing while minimizing it down to the interaction of just three colors. I used the smallest brush I had on hand to work in very fine detail in the waves of hair. The contrast of her porcelain skin against such prominent eyes and lips are balanced by extremely subtle shapes defining her nose, chin and neck. The aquamarine colors of the shirt are the perfect complement to the warm brown highlights of the hair, and the faint background suggests the color of worn yellowed paper, in recognition of the original.