COMMISSION — ‘Anastasia Woods’.

“Sophisticated, eloquent , analytical, justice driven, hard working sheriff.” - Description of ‘Anastasia’, by the client.

Though Anastasia was commissioned by the same client who ordered works of ‘Cassidy’, the two characters couldn’t be more different. When my client came to me about having a full body piece of Ana done, we discussed a few different options. However, ultimately we both agreed that something in the style of Joyce Ballantyne’s pinup work would be perfect.

When people think of pinup work, they traditionally think of male artists. However, some of the most prolific artists during the 1920-1960s were female painters— like Joyce Ballantyne. From her patent shoes to her bows, Anastasia is a dream in dusky pink. Balancing the hues to give her definition but not wholly wash her out was a challenge, but all the pinks worked out together well in the end.

My favourite part of pieces like this are all the little details— the heart in the gun smoke, the shape of the bullet holes on the target sheet, and the little pink flowers on the cactus.