Suddenly, Last Summer

Suddenly, Last Summer (2013)
24×18¼ Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold

We see it in movies and hear about it in songs, those intense feelings of longing and desire, our heads filled with dreams of what could be. For so many, those romantic notions seem entirely unattainable in reality and then... Suddenly, Last Summer, everything changes.

This piece was commissioned by a collector as a meaningful gift for his partner to commemorate a romantic trip they took to a lake in Sweden. It holds a deep personal significance, as it marks the very first time they were able to be openly out together after keeping their relationship a secret from their families. Working in pastel, my primary creative goal was to mirror that raw emotional breakthrough by contrasting the warm, intensely intimate skin tones of the interlocking couple against the cool, vast serenity of the rippling water surrounding their private vessel.