The Obama Hands

Right before our 20th wedding anniversary, I came across this picture in a coffee table book by Pete Souza (white house photographer). The picture is of a moment with Barack and Michelle Obama on a boat. It caught my attention and I decided to paint it, to celebrate this moment in my own life with my wife.

I enjoyed the month long project, learning how to paint anatomically accurate hands, and a technique called "underpainting", or "dead palette painting".

The picture itself represents a simple act of affection, and it stuck in my mind.