"With considerable practice, we can learn to paint what we see. With inspiration we can paint what we think and feel. After painting floral, landscapes and still lives I approached a homeless person in the streets of San Francisco and was deeply affected. Seeing this man, his image ignited thoughts and feelings about my work that had previously eluded me. I was moved. Genuinely inspired. It was at that moment I knew I would paint people. For me, the essence of one's life condition, the physical and spiritual, reveals itself in the face."