“Many great artists lived in poverty while their art today is revered, and many female artists still struggle for acknowledgement. My painting represents artists who were heroic in following their artistic passion, and steadfast and proud in completing their works to perfection; female artists battling commercial obscurity, and great geniuses like Johannes Vermeer who was once unknown.

The female artist in this portrait represents my reflection in another time… a quiet and introspective representation of scene of everyday life, typical to Vermeer. Like Vermeer, I have used a limited palette, typical to the 17^th Century, and only by using acrylics have I layered to effect a moody slathering of oils. My heroes are those artists who focused on a moment in time, leaving the story to be created by the viewer.”

Abira Niye Harvey 2018