A queen of the desert: her exuberant and powerful presence illuminated by a vivid color contrast – the flaming red of the model’s gown, the soft yellows, browns, white of the desert sand, and the deep brown and ochre of the model’s beautiful face.

The woman in this painting is the granddaughter of two very close friends of mine. Despite appearances, she is not actually royalty, although the setting and the gown are true to life. The painting shows her in Dubai, in the midst of an excursion that allowed her to imagine herself in a place, station in life, and even a moment in time fantastically different from her ordinary walk of life.

There is a back story. The model’s actual walk of life is extraordinary in its own right. She is an underwriter with a brokerage company and also head of a household, mother of three children, and a loving and supportive constant in the life of her grandfather, who just recently relocated near her. Withal, she still looks as young and vibrant as shown in the painting.