Bia Bennett in a blue bonnet

“Bia Bennett in a blue bonnet” is a 16 x 20 in. oil painting on a panel. The surface was gessoed with 3 coats and then sanded smooth with a power sander. The outlines were done with a graphite transfer from a same-size B/W print onto drawing paper. The reference photo is another from the archive of people on the streets of London in 1860. I had the idea of making the background black with palm fronds after seeing a photo from this year’s Oscar Awards. I thought about calling it “Debbie Did It.”