[Mike McCarty]

My friend Jo has a real passion for art. She has an art degree, which is to say she spends most of her time as a nurse. I prod her to take up projects and stay in touch with her art. She in turn prods and encourages me.

She came to me with a photo from a glamour magazine and said "I want to paint this." It was a very tightly cropped face very much back lit. It was one of those perfect shots that 10 people spent all day creating in a studio. After some discussion we decided it would be best if I helped her create her own reference.

She wanted hands, tightly cropped, and back lit. A mission, I love a mission. This shot was done with only natural light, a piece of foam core reflector board, and use of the spot meter on my Nikon film camera.

This is Melanie, with hands.