When I was living in New York, if all of the planets happened to be aligned, I would spend cold, rainy afternoons at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I would skip right up that central staircase and into the European Paintings Gallery. I am drawn to the portraits. They are my beacon in that building.
I am inspired by the proud poses, the ornate detail, and the light that illuminates only what it's supposed to. When I am in those hallways, surrounded by these paintings, that feeling in my gut starts to happen. It's the same feeling I get when I know one of my portraits is starting to work- that I've found my lighting, my composition, and the right mood for my subject.
James Stuart (1612-1655), Duke of Richmond and Lennox
Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, Antwerp 1599-1641 London)
