Sisters, in Black

All the dresses and the window are now finished in my painting of Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani in their studio.

in progress

30" x 38". oil on linen

I envisioned both sisters in black dresses when the initial composition was being developed, but later, other possibilities were also considered: all in blue, or one sister in blue and the other in black.

Three or four different deep blues were tried first, but none seemed right, and I decided to go with all black. The color immediately felt correct. It related to the ever-present black dresses in their paintings. All black was also integral to my original vision of a somber, neutral color palette, energized by a few notes of bright color.

All that's left to do are a few more small objects, the tables, and the wall.

my initial color study on palette paper

Interrogation of the Self
Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani
2017, oil on wood panels, 78" x 172" 
photographed in their studio

A recent example of this color palette is Nadine with Cigarette - where her red lips and the complimentary green blouse are the only bright notes.

Nadine with Cigarette

2018, oil on linen, 9 1/2" x 7"