In the original photo, she was holding a really big pen. And although I tend to use pens more than rockets, I figured a rocket would be much more interesting.
This is a commission piece for a good friend of mine. She wanted a Sonic Youth painting, but didn't want one of their more popular promo shots. I found this photo, and knew it was the one. It's pretty weird, but it's nice to take a little bit of a break from traditional portrait work.