Many of us have strong memories of our favorite dishes our grandmothers have cooked for us.

Meet Mamie: our grandma.

I worked from a photograph that I took of Mamie as she was caught up in conversation with her grandson (my husband), sitting on her chair in the kitchen. A chunk of potato in one hand and a knife in the other, she was slicing potatoes into wedges.

French fries, roasted potatoes, gratin dauphinois: Mamie’s potato dishes are legendary in our family. Truly, nothing beats Grandma’s cooking!

For our Mamie, food is a beautiful gift to be cherished and shared with those she loves.

Every brushstroke was an emotionally charged one for me, as I was working on capturing this fleeting point in time, trying to transmit the rawness of the moment. Life is but a collection of moments.

I achieved a realistic look through the use of many washes and layers. I started my work with a thin wash, using an underpainting technique to establish tonal values. Then, using a wide range of watercolor techniques, I painted in layers, meticulously building up the intensity and depth of color.

This painting explores identity and a sense of belonging. It was inspired by a black-and-white photo of myself at the age of three.

Looking at old photographs from my family archive always evokes emotions in me. They’re a part of my legacy and a window into my life: precious moments captured on camera, and cherished memories that I want to hold onto forever. However, in my eyes, old family photos are not just a thing of the past or a distant memory, but a link between the past and the present… And so, as I was flipping through the pages of my photo album, I had a moment where I thought to myself, “Why not transform these blurry photographs into something new?”

Of course, I was not interested in merely copying the reference photo but rather, my goal was to make it a part of my own personal visual narrative.

To create this piece, I used a mix of Windsor Blue and Light Red. I also added a hint of Mars Black to accentuate a couple of details. I believe that light plays a huge role when creating an atmosphere, and in my painting, the elements of light shining out of the darkness help the viewer experience that atmosphere. Highlights were preserved by leaving the white of the paper unpainted, and fabric texture was conveyed with a dry brush.