Artwork / 2005 / Paul

Paul and I became friends in high school. I often do portraits of people I care about, and this is something which the portraitist Chuck Close does too. In fact, he doesn’t take commissions. His explanation is that, if he is going to spend months focusing on a person’s face, it had better be someone he is interested in. And, while I understand what Close means, I do think he’s missing out, because everybody is really pretty interesting if you’re willing to put in the time to listen.

My portfolio is a mix of commission work, like this painting and this one, and paintings I make for myself, including political stuff like this piece about gun control and this one about women’s rights. Sometimes the art I make without a client is for sale and sometimes it’s meant as a gift, like with this piece and this one too.