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Marvin, Julie and Patty--thanks for your kind words.
The consensus from Ms. Worden's friends and colleagues was that the background should be kept plain, with one featured item from the museum's collection to represent the museum. The skeleton of the giant came to mind first, and then I snuck the dwarf in because it's in the same case as the giant and most people associate the two. I spent a long time in the museum observing how the expressions of the skeletons seem to change depending on the angle at which they were viewed. It was a lot of fun deciding which angle to paint them from. I wanted the three figures to be interacting. The skeletons began to seem like her friends, and i suspect she thought of them as such.
I was told by many people that Ms. Worden saw the humanity in everyone and appreciated all the variations of nature. There's a kind of mystery and wonder in science, and a connection between her and the skeletons. I think that was all in my mind as I was painting the "shimmery" air. (Julie, I like that word!)
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