"Hoa Hong, Pink Lotus"

The young man who commissioned this work wanted something special for his special lady. What a lovely young woman, and what a lovely "background" story he supplied:

"The girl's name is Hoa Hong. ... Her first name, Hoa, means in Vietnamese, lotus, the symbolic flower of Buddhism. Her middle name, Hong, means pink. An overheard maternal story behind her given names has it as follows: One April day when her mother was on her way to the hospital to deliver the baby, all by herself on a motorcycle (in Vietnam), she happened to come across a river that had pink lotus flowers drifting on springtime water.

"I would like to have this history reflected in the background of the portrait in lieu of what is actually in the photograph." The photo was taken by the sister of the subject, who was unaware of what the photo was for — the portrait was to be a surprise gift. 

Reference Photo of Hoa Hong
Reference Photo of Lily Pond

Within this framework, I was given complete artistic freedom.

By researching local libraries and our family's collection of reference and "picture" books, I was able to collect details on the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), Southeast Asian landscapes (as within the botanical gardens in what was known as Saigon), and lily ponds.

The lily pond I photographed (cropped at left) is in the Huntington Gardens — the grounds of the Huntington Library and Art Gallery — in neighboring San Marino.

By then placing the subject within the background — and exercising my artistic license — I was able to create a composition and paint a portrait that pleased my client, our subject, and myself as well as many other viewers and critics (Please excuse the distortions in color etc. that inevitably arose with creating the copies of copies of copies for this web-based presentation):

Composite Reference Photo of Hoa Hong by Lily Pond Portrait Painting of Hoa Hong, "Pink Lotus"

"[Doug's] research on the subject matter related to the artwork I asked for was extensive. ... I truly enjoyed the interaction with him throughout. ... It is testimony to how much he cares about people and how much he cares for what he does."

— HAJIME S. (client)

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