Thousands of photos saved. One revealed itself.
In 2022, I photographed a wonderful group of women at a three-day celebration in Saugerties, NY called "Babestock." It was all about womanhood, friendship, and music.
Looking back on those photos now, my perspective has shifted. An image I once overlooked became the inspiration for the painting above.
My friend Ayla, whom I've painted before, was there too. She suggested I photograph Liv, saying that she really knows how to look into the camera, and she was right.
Collectors often tell me they're drawn in by the emotion and intensity in my subjects' eyes. That connection is exactly why I love portrait painting. When Liv and I first met, her quiet, intense gaze caught my attention immediately, hinting at a story I still don't know, but the emotion is there, and that's what matters.
A few weeks ago, I posted a work-in-progress detail on Instagram and wrote: "LIV looks at you with skepticism. She mirrors my feelings about the world and the people in it. I see my own anger and strong will reflected in her. Being this way is a double-edged sword: I'm invested, but also guarded. Still, I choose to trust, and that reveals who truly belongs. My art is an outlet for these emotions, a way to voice the unspoken."
Liv and others commented that I got it right. I never expected that simply looking into a camera lens could reveal something I so deeply relate to.
