Behind the Scenes: La Colorada (2010)

In 2010, I painted “La Colorada”, a painting of a centennial house in the town of La Colorada de Santiago, Veraguas, Panama. The house was originally built by my boyfriend’s great-grandfather and has stayed in the family ever since. 

The painting was a challenge for me, since I don’t normally paint houses or anything related to architecture. It was given as a present to my boyfriend’s parents and now hangs in their living room. 

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to borrow the painting and compare it to the actual centennial house. Because I used reference pictures (and my memories) to paint, this was the first time that I ever compared the completed painting to the actual house.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the painting captured the essence of the house, especially since, at the time, it is what I struggled with the most.

Even though it was a challenging piece, I still feel satisfied, almost three years later, with my interpretation of the subject. I enjoyed the experience of looking back on an old piece with fresh eyes. I hope you also enjoyed this short glance at what goes on “behind the scenes” of my artwork. 

The top picture is Veronica, great-granddaughter of the original owner, holding the painting in front of the actual house. The bottom left picture was the reference picture that I used in 2010. The bottom right picture is the completed painting.