Pastel Portrait - Collage

For this unusual portrait project, I was hired by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority to paint a pastel portrait and collage of outgoing executive director Claira Monier, to commemorate her 20 years of service to the state. In her roll as executive director Clara was instrumental in helping the authority to provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income people as well as financing for huge multifamily complexes. Thus I included generic properties to symbolize typical projects that she directed, including a modest single family dwelling, a multi-family complex and a mill building detail. To represent her involvement in state politics and her love of New Hampshire, a detail of the State Capital dome in Concord, distant mountain foothills and autumn foliage helps complete this collage.

For this pastel painting I used an almost unlimited palette, including cool and warm facial tones, autumn shades of red, orange and gold, and cool shades of green, blue gray and a hint of purple. After learning from Claira's secretary that her favorite colors are red, white and blue, I thought it fitting to paint the scarf in such patriotic hues, instead of red, white and brown shades of her actual scarf!