I started this at an art colony I went to last year. I had a couple of hours with a shared model in terrible light and what I brought home looked nothing like this. Earlier this year I completely repainted it: set up pillows and drapery of my own to replace the uninteresting ones that were in the original and spent a couple of weeks painting the drapery and pillows from life and the nude out of my head. I added the easel on the right to fill out the composition and also to explain the subject. I've been working very slowly on this piece trying to make the light, atmosphere and flesh tones dazzle. The tilt of the head and the flood of reflected light on the face were very difficult; I think I spent three days on the head alone.