I find the human face intensely interesting and enchanting to draw. For much of my career I preferred to work from life and nature, not focusing on the head— it felt too intimidating. Fortunately, a few years ago, I was attending a life class and the model didn’t show up. Our teacher had each of the students sit for a 20-minute portrait pose and through this exercise I realized I was able to get a likeness easily. While this ability came as a pleasant surprise to me, it wasn’t until my teacher, Alex Piccirillo, insisted I try pastel that I put the two together. My next teacher, Jeanne Smith (jeannesmithart.com), had the patience and knowledge to instruct me through my first successful attempt (“Philla and Adelaide”, 2006). The response I got to this piece lead to my first commissions.