This was right when I met this model, and I was really just trying to get a sense of who she was. My first impression was of somebody young and successful, out exploring the city for the first real time. There was something about the way she was enjoying it that felt meaningful, although I wasn’t quite sure what it was.

My idea was to capture her in a nice summer dress, with the city behind her. I really just wanted to capture that moment.

For me, a lot of painting or drawing somebody is about developing a sort of understanding. That becomes a certain kind of relationship: one person being who they are, and me getting to be an observer of that, trying to capture it as best I can.

This was supposed to be the beginning of an exploration in painting her. But it ended up being my first and only painting of her, as our relationship became more interactive and meaningful over time.

So the painting is really that first impression: this girl who was new in the city, in a cute summer dress, with the city embracing her.