Her Familiars by Iris Liu

"I was excited to have one of my best friends model for this painting; her name is Diana and we've known each other since we were in the third grade. I completed this piece at the Hillsborough Art Academy, during a four-week art intensive taught by Kevin Murphy. This was my first time painting something of this scale, and it was also my first time creating a piece from the initial concept and photo shoot all the way to the actual painting. The entire process was a really fascinating challenge for me. Concept-wise, I had always liked fantasy stories about witches and familiars growing up—so I suppose this piece was a little bit of a nod to that interest of mine. At the same time, I was also simply focused on strengthening my skills with a more traditional style portrait. I can definitely say that I learned a lot throughout this experience." – IRIS LIU