July 2022. Acrylic on canvas board. 9 ½” x 11”
Nearing the end of our visit to New York in late May, my mother and I had gone to Times Square on a whim at midnight. It was a rare occasion that she and I were both awake enough to do this, and agreed on where we wanted to go. About a month later, I found inspiration for a painting in a selfie I had taken under the bright, flashing lights. The gigantic cherry red Coca-Cola advertisement and bubblegum pink Swarovski billboard reflected onto my face, creating a monochromatic color scheme. I emphasized this in my painting, layering on top of an initial pink background to fill in the shadows and highlights of my face and hair.