Acryllic and ink on paper.

Inspired by Fiona Davis’ novel The Masterpiece.

The book follows two timelines:

• 1929 A woman teaches art at a time when women aren’t respected, and Picasso is taking America by storm.

• 1975 Another woman is dealing with shame and trauma involving a divorce and surprise mastectomy. She finds comfort and inspiration in a painting that turns out to be by the first woman.

So obviously I did this in a Picasso style. After making the sketch, it felt like filling in a coloring book, which some people find meditative, but I just find tedious. I spent way too much time filling in a patterned background but it made the image too noisy, so I covered it with semi-transparent paint. I kind of like the result. I didn’t want to outline in paint, so I cheated and used pen.