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Renee, I think your Barefoot Contessa is just awesome! This will not only be a stunning portrait, it will be a magnificent, arresting painting! The figure, pose, hair, and dress are all reminiscent of the voluptuous actresses of the late fifties and early sixties: Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and the "Barefoot Contessa" herself, Ava Gardner.
While I totally agree that the railing she is leaning against must have a context, and certainly some vertical support, you have to be aware of everything you're getting into when you consider the setting to be a ship. Your eye level in the photo is at her waist: the courses of brick behind her confirm this absolutely--where the mortar line is completely horizontal, that's where your eye level, and thus, the horizon, must be. It also means that you would be looking ever so slightly down onto the deck that your subject would be standing on (meaning you would have a sliver of deck), and perhaps beyond onto the sea, with the horizon at her waist level. In order for this to be believable, I think you'd have to render the top of a deck accurately, with everything that would be found on it, exactly from that position, and off the side of the ship, to boot! Unless you hire a helicopter to swoop down next to a cruise ship, or find one docked at a pier which allows you to ascend to the level of one of the top deck's railing, it might be hard to find the right reference material. Additionally, the lighting would have to match the lighting of your source photograph.
I do love the romance of the ship's setting, but considering the difficulty of achieving it convincingly, maybe you could consider some alternatives. Perhaps the scene could be a balcony in an urban setting--maybe even the large veranda of a penthouse apartment. This would allow you to include potted outdoor plant material, or some flowers. Or back to the sea: maybe she is standing on a long dock; you could have the sea gulls and the horizon where ocean meets sky. Or she could be standing inside a gazebo, looking out. You could have any background then; a charming New England town square complete with church steeple in the background, or the garden of a wealthy eccentric.
Each of these settings would evoke a different scenario to be imagined by the observer, but what would not change is the powerful emotion, mystery, and wonder she, herself, portrays. Every viewer will interpret this enigma his own way, and will read into it whatever their own life experience has taught them.
So, it is up to you to decide how complicated you want the background to be (I'm sure you don't want to distract from her too much), and perhaps up to your client, because she may have a setting that is meaningful to her life. If you were doing this for yourself, I would recommend as simple a setting as possible, because the figure is so powerful herself. I can't wait to see more of this work as it progresses.
Gigi
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