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After painting a solitary woman playing chess—where I left out the opponent, partly by design and partly by hesitation—I still felt I had a score to settle. Figuratively, of course. I wanted to push myself further: more tension, more interaction, more story.

So I decided to include both players this time. I changed the game from chess to backgammon—a game I think is underrated and too often overlooked. To add contrast and character, I made her opponent an elderly woman, creating a generational dynamic that immediately introduced subtle layers of competition, memory, and presence.

I also wanted to shift the setting. This time, I aimed for an outdoor scene, flooded with warm light. But as I worked, I kept gravitating toward a grittier texture, falling in love again with what the palette knife could do. The solution came in the form of an old shack, somewhere vaguely Mediterranean—sunlit, dusty, and worn. It allowed me to play with muted grays and beiges while still keeping a light-soaked atmosphere that feels alive and believable.

But above all, this painting was about gesture and credible interaction. I wanted the viewer to feel the tension of the game. Both figures are engaged through their hands—one leaning in to place or guard a piece, the other mid-reach, the board itself becoming a zone of focus and emotional charge.
The younger woman’s pose was especially challenging. She needed to appear both relaxed and involved. After several sketches, I landed on a posture that felt right: one hand resting on the back of the chair, a gentle twist toward her opponent—a body caught between thought and movement.
In the end, it was a challenge worth taking on. Two figures, a story unfolding in silence, and that quiet pressure of play that says so much without a word. I think I did alright.