Original artwork description:

I discovered the source image in my father's effects after in 2005. Taken by the grandmother I never met, it shows the young couple three months into their relationship on the visit to Sydney, Australia to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Their body language language is self-conscious and slightly awkward. While the piece is personal, my treatment of the figures is intended to give allow the viewer's own memories to resonate.

I relish a good back-lit scene, and worked to recreate the washed out effect of the strong Australian light evident in the original slide while maintaining a looseness and simple palette. I seem to be drawn to images with patterned carpets, table ware and reflective surfaces, and this one ticks all those boxes. It is framed in a deep sympathetically-stained wood frame that complements the piece.

Materials used:

oil paint, linen canvas, turpentine, unrefined linseed oil