The portrait, or depiction of a person, continues to be what excites me when I paint, as both a way to understand myself better and to connect to a viewer. The masking or obscuring of faces stems from by belief that we never 100-percent know someone or what they are thinking. This includes our own selves and isn't necessarily devious or a bad thing. So, a true portrait of someone has to be obscured in order to reveal the true nature of self. I start each piece with little input on the end result, choosing rather for the piece to dictate where it wants to go. I choose faces that tell an interesting story. Once the painting is complete and the dust has settled, I then figure out the meaning to me. The way that I paint, a tightly rendered watercolor underpainting, with a loose/gestural acrylic or oil painting allows me to achieve my goal. A juggernaut to me, is a person who, even when fully vulnerable, can look someone directly in the eye, even when their true nature would be to look away.