Oil on canvas
2024

This painting captures a moment of joy as the subject, my colleague Margarita, demonstrates the steps of a Latin dance in an effort to teach our colleagues during a work outing. Margarita can be seen, eyes closed, her face beaming with a genuine smile of delight. Her arms are raised and caught in motion as they counteract the turns of the dance steps. 

Dance, as a whole-body form of expression, is inherently linked to various cultures. In sharing this dance, Margarita not only imparts the steps but also shares a part of her cultural upbringing.

This painting makes use of warm orange tones punctuated by areas of cool blue to throw our subject into clear and stark contrast within our foreground. The main colours of the background have been divided between orange and blue, roughly in line with the divide between the red of her top and the blue of her skirt. This intentional use of colour has been utilised to create a sense of harmony, while short, square marks have been used to build up a feeling of movement within the background. When combined, these have aided the sense of movement within the figure itself.