I was recently fortunate enough to have a chance to travel to Charleston, South Carolina. As a souvenir of the Southern hospitality that met me there, I painted this scene of the friendly bartender who mixed a couple of terrific drinks for me at The Swamp Fox Restaurant and Bar, (in the Francis Marion Hotel, which, coincidentally, also treated me with exceptional hospitality!) The cocktail shown here was, I think, called the “Gypsy Dancer,"  a beautiful, fun and delicious gin cocktail with St. Germain and Chartreuse liqueurs.  

This scene is painted over a vibrant underpainting that shines though much of the foreground. The colors of the underpainting are meant to represent the feeling of excitement I had for the adventure of my spontaneous solo trip to the southern city.. The vibrant spectrum relates to my range of emotions from nervous energy to pure optimism. It was my goal to capture and preserve the moment with enough reality to recognize the person and place, but with the sparks of color that recollect the joyful feelings that should accompany any cocktail like this!