Mirror, Mirror

Apart from my original "Triple Self Portrait," which was autobiographical, the "Artists and their Art" paintings were always a series of fictional narratives that allowed me to play with abstract contrasts. Though it seemed that the models' personal stories always influenced the final paintings. However, with "Mirror, Mirror," the painting grew directly out of the fashion/design work of artist Helen Gerro. She was having a one person show featuring both her paintings and her fashions at the Visual Art Center in Punta Gorda, FL, when I walked in to teach a class and was so enamored with her dresses that I knew I had to paint one! She graciously allowed me to produce this painting, representing her at work in her studio (background at the sewing machine) while model Amber McKinley models one of her creations in the foreground. The paintings on the walls are all Helen's, as are all of the clothing hanging in the studio.