I love portraiture because I am fascinated by people. To me, there is no subject I would rather paint. I never understood the allure of rendering still life paintings of fruit and inanimate objects. To quote Albert Einstein, "Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people." I personally believe that we are all connected in some way. Each person certainly makes a huge impact on the world, even those who feel under-appreciated or insignificant. We inflict pain on each other, sometimes intentionally, and other times unbeknownst to us. Then we have the ability to love unconditionally. And we all have a story...


    We go from being intensely passionate to completely apathetic and back again. And things get even more complicated by the fact that we are constantly changing and adapting to the outside world we all have a hand in shaping. With these conditions, of course there will always be conflict. We all have hopes and dreams that are too often quelled by our fears and insecurities. But the beauty is in our flaws and imperfections. It's what causes us to grow and be more open minded. I've found that through every introduction I've not only had the pleasure of meeting a new person, but learned something new about myself in the process. And with every portrait I do, I feel like I have the interesting task of trying to tell a story through that person's eyes, based on the impression I get from them. If it's someone I've never met before (e.g. Jay-Z), then it's a different kind of challenge. I feel lucky to have the chance to study and glorify people and their uniqueness through my portraiture.