Gilding not required

Lucy was an inspiring portrait subject. Her bright
red hair, green eyes and shy smile contrasted
perfectly with her regal being. This is the pose
she picked, and I love how what should
look awkward, both arms going off the canvas
works because of her confident gaze.

I've known Lucy since she was seven, and she
was an amazing seven-year-old, wildly
imaginative. She always played queens in
pretend play. Some of her fabled royal
heritage came through to me as I painted,
and that's why the bands in behind her are
24 karat gold. Her beauty didn't need
embellishing, but the painting insisted.

I also added flashes of gold to her dress,
because I'm partial to gold. The colouring
was a whole other animal. I must have painted the pillows out five or six times before the colours complimented her dress properly. Colour theory
was no help at all. (Wheels and all that).

As with all commissions what matters to me is
that the sitter is happy, and she was. I don't
usually let people see their portraits until they seem
almost finished to me, and that's a good
policy. I can always make changes at the end,
but I save my subjects any of the agony I may
go through getting the piece to a place that pleases me.

Goodnight. School is over for the summer.


Go ahead and gild the lily tonight.