Sketches of Souls

“For me, painting portraits is about trying to connect, on an emotional level, with what you might call the ‘soul.’ In other words, it’s that deep, almost secret part that emanates from the person.
I work primarily from photographs of strangers. This allows me to connect solely with what the person exudes, and not with any preconceived notions I might have about them. It’s therefore a sketch, something spontaneous, that I want to share with the viewer. However, I work extensively on these sketches beforehand, imagining various compositions and different plays on values and colors.
My goal: to intuitively construct my own image of the person, then release it onto the paper and surprise myself by revealing an intimate sketch of a stranger.”