Paula’s map paintings show at Maya Stendhal Gallery left a lasting impression on me during one of my regular gallery tours in Chelsea. Months later, after starting this portrait series, her fine art work came to mind as the personification of her wide ranging talents. I photographed her with the only available prop, a simple bench, to work on less conventional poses. For the background, I chose my personal favorite piece, “Tsunami,” depicting the devastation caused by the 2004 earthquake in Indonesia.

I remember thinking that, if she liked her portrait, I might be able to photograph her husband, Seymour Chwast, next...