Portraits

When doing a portrait, I strive to capture likeness animated by the essence particular to the character of the sitter and I aim to create a situation with a particular mood. In the Whale Watchers I went for joy and laughter on a fresh windy day on a boat. In The Rehearsal, I wanted the group to live the music they play and sing, and the friendship that binds them. The Golden Age is about the autumn years of life, with manifest intelligence and wit.

I do self-portraits periodically. There is no better activity of self-recognition. When I did the first serious one in 1983, I couldn’t believe how much I learned by looking intently at my reflection in the mirror and capturing what I saw; this experience repeats every time I paint a self-portrait: I am visiting deep crevices of my nature.

My favorite self-portrait in the history of art is Goya’s (1815). The painting is about the artist’s inner nature, his wisdom and almost palpable pain.