Elayne tried to capture the reflections in a glass bird that her mother had in her living room that was approximately 10 inches tall. Even when she was a teenager, she must have been aware of auras because she left an outline of white all around the statue.
It's possible Elayne's art friend Louise Fraher helped with the colors. The background was something Elayne would have done as they are colors she likes. Even 60 years ago Elayne was aware of the power of diagonals that she uses a lot in photographs.