Paintings inspired by photographs
Nothing can capture the feelings of that moment: awestruck, utterly in love, and totally exhausted. Snapshots taken in those early days are precious, but they can be unsatisfying. The photo of this lovely moment between mother and child suffered from a cluttered background (including a coatrack and radiator) and very tight framing.
With a few artistic adjustments to the background, however, the severe cropping began to look like a compositional choice, giving the portrait an intimacy that makes us feel like we can reach out and hold the baby ourselves. This works especially because the painting is relatively small.
I chose to paint this scene with a spare color palette, combining muted tones of blue with neutrals, and the vibrant skin tones of the figures are rich in comparision.