My interest in portraits grows out of my work as a clinical psychologist, with an understanding of the universal appeal of the face as a visual stimulus evoking strong emotion. Equally moved by psychology and aesthetics, I aim in my paintings to balance the face as psychological stimulus and as artistic form. I emphasize features that communicate feeling without dictating a response to the observer. My portraits show a distinctive American influence in the way they combine a direct stance with an accessible, sometimes folksy quality. Artistic sources of inspiration include two of my heroes, Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso. I am also deeply influenced by the Fauves, with their unexpected use of color to stir imagination.