“Janice & Fern” is a portrait in a series called “Persons of Interest” that I’m painting to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial. Since coming to the Okanagan Valley, I have met some extraordinary people. They represent the finest elements of the Canadian character: friendliness and fair play, tolerance and respect, compromise and compassion, and, as evident in this painting, remarkable individuality.

The portrait exemplifies old masters’ techniques that involve building up tonal underlayers, followed by layers of translucent coloured glazes. I used this approach extensively with Janice and Fern, while painting the background in a flat, more contemporary manner.