Which is something I never ever even imagined would be something I’d say in my lifetime. So I’m quite excited. (Though, at this point, the plan is still to write and have art as generally a fun thing). But late last year, my gorgeous friend Anne Gracie said that she was having her website redesigned and would I paint a regency lady to be used in the design. Which was very flattering and a bit nervewracking to be honest. But we agreed that she was happy to have a rear view (because faces are really not my forte) and that she was free to say she didn’t like it and no harm, no foul.

I had a look around for images on Pinterest and Anne picked one she liked and, luckily, the very gracious Nicole of Diary of a Mantua Maker, whose photo it was, was happy for me to use it as a reference. And eventually I got up the nerve to sit down and do the painting (like most creative things, it becomes a little more daunting when you suddenly have the ‘someone is paying for this’ voice in your head). It was lots of fun and luckily Anne loved my first attempt (though I did a couple of alternates just in case) and that’s the image that’s on her site now.

Because the design only uses part of the image, I thought it would be fun to share the whole thing here, so here is my regency lady in all her scanned glory. Is it wrong to have frock envy from a painting? 😀