Prior to painting each model, I asked each sitter to sign a model release. When Madeleine saw the release, she read it aloud and said something like, “Oh, I’m a model.” Given her looks I assumed she was just stating a fact that she was indeed a model. Obviously, I didn’t get her ironic sense of humour but looking back, I think it’s very funny. She came in to be painted with her partner, Stephanie, so I wanted to do something to their portraits that connected them as a couple. Recently, I had been toying with patterns in the background of the portraits and I asked them if they wouldn’t mind a similar background in their paintings. They agreed and I love the way they look.