Amanpour and Company

THIS PORTRAIT, YOU HAVE DECIDED NOT TO SELL OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, AND IT IS AN AMAZING THING THAT YOU DECIDED NOT TO GIVE IT TO THE PUBLIC COMMONS IF YOU LIKE, AND TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT WITH IT. TELL ME WHY THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU. IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT IS SOMETHING THAT I KNEW THAT YOU WANTED TO DO, AND TO MAKE THIS PORTRAIT FOR THE COVER OF "VANITY FAIR" AND I HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT, AND AFTER THE COVER WAS REVEALED, IT WAS IN MY STUDIO AND I WAS THINKING OF LOUISVILLE, AND ALL OF THE UNREST THERE, AND BECAUSE OF BREONNA TAYLOR, AND I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A BOMB IN GILEAD, AND THROUGH ART WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AND FIND SOME SOLACE. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE PAINTING, ITSELF, AND I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN IT WAS ON "VANITY FAIRS" COVER, AND YOU HAD A CHOICE TO DO THE DRESS AND THE COLORS AND TELL ME HOW YOU BROUGHT HER ALIVE AND HOW YOU GOT TO KNOW HER, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU HAVE PAINTED SOMEBODY WHO IS NO LONGER ALIVE.

RIGHT. THE FIRST THING I DID WAS TO REACH OUT TO HER MOTHER AND SEND ME SOME PHOTOGRAPHS THAT REALLY REPRESENTED BREONNA'S PERSONALITY, AND THE ONE THING THAT SHE SAID IS THAT BREONNA LOVED TO GET DRESSED UP. SO I KNOW THAT AS A WOMAN, A YOUNG WOMAN, IF I WERE GOING TO BE ON THE COVER OF "VANITY FAIR" I WOULD WANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL. SO I REACHED OUT TO HER MOTHER, HAD USED FOR A PAINTING BEFORE, I ASKED HER TO POSE FOR ME, BECAUSE SHE WAS THE SAME HEIGHT AND STATURE OF BREON NASHGS AND THEN I REACHED OUT TO A BLACK FEMALE DESIGNER IN ATLANTA NAMED JAZMINE ELDER AND STARTED A CONVERSATION WITH HER ABOUT SOME OF THE DRESSES THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT, AND SHE WAS SO HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THE PROJECT, AND SHE SENT ME FIVE OR SIX DRESSES, AND WE USED ONE FOR THE PAINTING.

AS FAR AS THE COLOR, IT WAS THE HARDEST CHOICE THAT I FELT LIKE I EVER HAD TO MAKE IN ANY OF MY IT TOOK SO LONG. IT WAS THREE OR FOUR DAYS OF ME, AND I THINK THAT I SAW SO MANY COLORS THAT BY THE END OF THE DAY, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT SEEMED LIKE, AND I REMEMBER WALKING TO THE BATHROOM DOWN THE HALLWAY TO THE STUDIO, AND IT WAS JUST LIKE, BREONNA, WHAT COLOR DO YOU WANT THE DRESS TO BE