Notes from David O'keefe:

My two oldest daughters are huge Golden Girls fans, it is absolutely their favorite show. They didn't really get into it until they were in high school and it was in syndication, but they watch it all the time when they're home. They've been asking me to paint them for awhile and the Golden Girls are also one of the big pop culture icons from the last century that are always on the top of the list when we ask our fans what they would like me to do next. I hadn't really watched it a lot myself, so when I started on the sketches for the project I started watching the reruns. I never even had to tape it or buy the DVD because it is on TV so much. I really enjoyed watching it and after getting to know the characters I have decided Sophia (Estelle Getty) is my favorite. She is real cynical and I like that, she's the one I identify with the most. In the painting, I really tried to capture the expressions that fit the characters the best. That sarcastic expression Dorothy (Bea Arthur) has, she doesn't even have to say anything, you just laugh out loud. Blanche (Rue McClanahan) is flirty and energetic and I tried to show her that way and with Rose (Betty White) I wanted to get across her naivety and that her thoughts are a little scattered. She seems to be everyone's favorite and when we put her on Facebook she got the most "likes.'' As I started to think about how to arrange them in the oil painting, I thought about the four seasons, because I think they all represent different seasons. Sophia is winter, Dorothy is autumn, Rose is spring and Blanche is summer. Caitlin suggested that I use a really bright color palette for the Golden Girls, like a Miami Vice, 1980s color scheme. The bright colors just kind of fit because the show was set in Miami and had such an '80s feel.