“DANCING WITH SHADOWS” by Anna Toberman

The model for this painting had just finished a long standing pose in a Spanish style costume with dramatic under-lighting. Instead of stepping down from the model stand, she began to gracefully, spontaneously dance, gesturing with the folding fan. The shadow shapes that she created were so interesting that I decided to photograph the session for future reference. I created a painting called “Shadow and Fan” based on some images from that day. I was honored that it was juried into a 2025 NOAPS show. It also won a FASO BoldBrush award and an award at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art Annual National Juried Exhibition in late 2025. I was very happy that a collector bought it soon after. My painting in the 2026 Best of America Exhibition, titled “Dancing with Shadows” is the second in this series. The dancer’s face is soft and partially illuminated as she moves in and out of the flickering shadows. She uses the fan to conceal parts of herself. Similarly, many of us contend with challenges of life by navigating through light and darkness.