“Over time I have experimented with different ways to fuse my figurative abstract style with realism. Mint Drop is one such venture, where I reinterpreted Cleopatra by Baroque Italian artist Carlo Maratti (1625-1713). In this reimagining I have simplified details and overemphasised others. The title Mint drop refers to the object in the subject’s hand. In Maratti's version, Cleopatra holds a pearl, however this rendition is a departure from the original and the figure depicted and object in hand have been reimagined.”
- Cynthia Howard