Poised

 "Poised". Soft pastels on Velour paper.

Occasionally, a photo inspires me so much I ignore the fact that it doesn't play to my strengths. This was one of them. The photo was challenging for these reasons:

1) people (never been good at them)
2) it's an entire scene (which I've never done)
3) black Velour paper (which I've never used)
4) people dammit

I was intimidated even before I started, thought this painting was doomed to fail. I told God, "I'm going to try this and it looks impossible. Can you help me please?" I guess the great thing about rash ambition is that you won't know what you can do (or can't) until you try. After I put in the marks for the first ballerina, I was feeling pretty hopeful. It did look better than I'd hoped.

After I'd completed the second ballerina, I became REALLY excited. I love how she turned out.

As the painting progressed, I realised that I was having tons of fun. The Terry Ludwig pastels are truly a godsend for the dark areas - they're somehow uber dark but still bright, if that makes sense. And Velour paper is really great for pastels - they go on so smoothly and don't smudge too easily so that you get a muddy mess. Black Velour paper does sap some of the colours somewhat, making them more muted but as long as I used a few layers, the pigment does shine through. Oh, and the Jackson's fluorescent pastels are perfect for adding a few blinding highlights to the tutu!

At this point, I was looking at the picture and felt it conveyed the highly charged emotion and tension dancers face backstage just as they are about to make their entrance. The third ballerina waiting in the wing on the right somehow muted that tension, so I decided at the last minute to exclude her. I painted in the floor and moved the door further inwards.

And then it's finishing up the shiny floor and it's done. Can I say how much I love this painting? A follower on Instagram called it "Midnight Degas" and I love that. It's completely different from what I usually do and I didn't think I could pull it off. Not too long ago, I would have not even dreamed of attempting this. It's a reminder how far I've come from a year ago and I'm so, so thankful to God for blessing this journey that has brought me so much joy 🙏