When the Light Changed Color

New York 1929. A world on the brink of tumultuous change. A place of wealth, cultures, artists, actors, memories, gain and loss. John Stewart, volunteer ambulance driver in World War War I France turned artist, receives the commission of his life to paint a portrait of the beautiful Mrs. Katherine Olmstead Welles in the months leading up to the stock market crash and Great Depression.

With the portrait commissioned by her husband to be unveiled at a grand birthday gala in the near future, Stewart leaves his bohemian existence in Greenwich Village to start work at the Welles' East Hampton beach house. While the portrait comes to life, John and Katherine share many things - his transition from student to artist in the days after his return from World War I France, his experiences as a volunteer driver for the American Ambulance Field Service prior to the U.S entry into that war, her life before marriage with its passions for art and music and the tragic loss of her brother in the war. Their bond sparks jealousies and sets off a chain of events from which, along with Black Thursday and the stock market crash, there is no immediate recovery.

Featuring historical aspects of the American Ambulance Field Service of World War I, the art scene of the 1920s through the 1940s and New York of the period, When the Light Changed Color is a compelling portrait of the past - its challenges, circumstances and emotions that still resonate strongly with those of our times.