Saint Sonya of Tuscany
August 3, 2021
This is Sonya.
Sonya is a fierce Russian-speaking Armenian-blooded ball of fury who had fallen madly in love with Italy and promised to one day make it her home and have a family there.
She realized her dream.
To acknowledge her Russian heritage the portrait was done with a nod to Russian Byzantine art, with a particular homage to one of my favorite painters Mikhail Nesterov. It also features her in the rolling hills of Tuscany to acknowledge the country she has so much passion for and also calls home.
As always I started with the line art before moving to color.
She is portrayed as a patron Saint mostly tongue-and-cheek because she will acknowledge that she is anything but a saint - however, she does have an amazing heart.
Careful attention was taken to embroider the initials of her sons onto her robes.
