“For centuries, portraits have fascinated viewers based on some shared understanding of emotions and yet we can never claim with full certainty a true insight into the subject’s mind. For me, the enduring allure of the figure in painting lies in the tension between knowing and not knowing. My work explores how an individual’s presence in time and space evokes quiet contemplation through a careful consideration of color, light, and form. We live in times where our closest friends and confidants are people who grew up in diverse cultures, celebrated different holidays, and spoke other languages. They are at once the subjects and the viewers. I imagine them standing in front of my work in introspection, looking at the rhythm of light and shadow in the emerging forms in the drawings or the shifting colors in the paintings. Thus, art as a sensory experience serves as the common denominator, unhindered by cultural or language barriers.”