People are fascinating subject matter.

Young Woman in Backyard ...... 12" x 20" ...... Oil on Canvas

On the one hand, they appear one way but may actually be feeling differently. They sit as still as they may be able and it seems, after a while, as if one knows them.

Young Woman and Sax Mouthpiece ... 15" x 15" ... Oil on Canvas

But they might actually be thinking about something out-of-character for the personality projected upon them.

Young Man, Profile ...... 15" x 15" ...... Oil on Canvas

The profound intimacy between observer and observed, heightened by the act of painting, is easily transformed into a false sense of knowing the model, just as a viewer will get a sense they know something about the model by looking at a painting.

Todd, Standing ... 16" x 8" ... Oil on Canvas

On the other hand, there is something real and paintable about an expression.

Young Woman Wearing Red ... 14" x 18" ... Oil on Canvas

A model’s inner beauty may seem to shine forth from the canvas, as if she or he were present. People are, I find, the most enjoyable subjects for painting.