This original oil painting of an African fashion model in front of what's either a stormy sky or a fire and smoke, "Strolling Before the Storm," is one of three paintings that came from the summer of 2020. When the painting classes I was teaching went to Zoom, in-studio classes were being cancelled and the George Floyd murder was sparking riots across America. The class was just embarking on painting the human figure as the woke movement was spreading in America so it naturally became a time to focus on African American portraits. What attracted me to this pose was the colors of her blouse and skirt and the way her shoulders can be seen. I added the background after I had painted her.