When I first started painting, I concentrated on making realistic portraits because I was good at drawing likenesses of my friends and teachers. I thought painting people would be fun too. However, once I could paint well enough to take commissions, I found realism very tedious and wished I could paint looser or more abstractly. But so far, with portraits, I can't!  If I live long enough, I will eventually get there. Shown here are many of my portrait and figure paintings since 1998.