original painting by Brooke Harker.
Walking Rome is my first painting on canvas of Rome inspired by the many wanderings through the city nearly a year before. My eyes fixated on the woman in the pink dress, a modern figure among a city of such history. I was drawn most to how the dress stretched over her body. She did not have the body of a model with flat abs and that didn’t stop her from expressing her femininity. This fascinated me. I also wondered how she could walk on the cobblestone in those heals. I attempted to wear the slightest heal and lost complete balance on the unsteady ground. I fell into the street and a stranger pulled me out before an oncoming car almost hit me.
The creation of this painting mirrored my own journey of self acceptance. I felt like this woman helped me shift my thinking. It always amazes me, the power of one person to impact another and not even know.
Brooke Harker
