Sarah, five years later

[Tom Edgerton]

This is Sarah. I painted her five years ago, when she was three (it's on my website). I've had a strange mix of emotions painting this; I could see who she was and who she'll be at the same time--she's right on that edge.

I'm fairly satisfied with it. The advantage of painting all those back- and side-lit kids I've done lately has been to teach me to turn form with color, as the face in shadow doesn't offer a lot of value contrast to grab onto. So I'm gradually getting better with color. We shot this about 7AM to get the low angle on the light.

The color of the dress was a bear to paint. It was a very delicate pink, and all the green banging around in the environment tended to neutralize it. But I didn't want to boost the color saturation to a hotter pink, either, just to hold onto it.

I liked the location, and so I like the composition--and a few eleventh-hour suggestions from Linda B. saved the bacon there too. Thanks, Linda for looking over my shoulder.

The color of the scan is about right, I think.