This is a painting of my wife, Laurie. She was sitting back and relaxing on a sunny afternoon. The colours were golden and warm. Her hair was auburn with sunlit highlights. To start, I back-painted the canvas left to right in fuchsia and vermilion orange. I let these colours show prominently through the mid-ranges and more subtly in the highlights and shadows keeping my brushstrokes loose and bold. I composed the portrait off-centre to give more negative space on the right creating a warm backlight. This contrasts to the brighter sunlight on the left. The square format allows the image spontaneity and stability at the same time.