1989

In 1989 while I was living in San Francisco, I made a series of portraits of close friends, something I had always wanted to do. I have always been inspired by the portraits of Manet, Van Gogh, Alice Neel, and others. Painting a portrait from life is a very intimate and personal experience. Observing the light and characteristic shapes of hands and face, movement informing more, and spending time in light conversation, you hope that an essentialness of the subject will be evident. I met Jim at my first library job, at the Academy of Art College, and we became fast friends. He wanted to be painted in his favorite reading chair, reading about Paris.