Crushed by her lover's betrayal, she's forever destined to haunt the coastal nooks of Scotland. Her spirit ebbs and flows with the tide, playing a dark melody on a cursed Scot's violin wrought malevolent with a haunted, perpetual despair of grief and tears.

Note from Artist

Her haunting, twisted facial expression conveys a mix of emotions ... on one hand, a brave smile, and on the other, a sullen, angry, and vengeful rage. Rendering an accurate, photo-realistic violinist is a tough artistic challenge. Capturing the details of the violin itself, properly proportioned to the hands and body, as well as setting the proper angles of the violin, hands, and arms are formidable tasks to achieve with realistic precision. Introducing the bow in the last step with proper sizing, angles, and shadowing is equally tricky. Substantial advanced masking techniques and steps are required. The subtle, ancient brown leather pelt clothing with accents from the underlying landscape makes for a nice finishing touch.

Despite her controversial reign, Mary, Queen of Scots remains an important figure in the history of Scotland and England, as well as a symbol of the religious and political conflicts of the time.

One can sense that Mary realizes in the final moments of this portrait sitting that this is the most beautiful and profound moment of her entire life - la bella massima - captured for immortality in a timeless, most vainglorious royal portrait as she revels in the moment with grace and a calm clarity of existence.

Note from Artist

An important finishing technique on this piece is the soft, sunny afternoon haze enveloping Mary, pulling everything into a surreal, magically poignant moment in time. This effect is achieved with multiple colored translucent gradient overlay techniques. I love the contrasting yellow-limes on the left with purplish hues on the right and in her headdress.