To continue my pondering, I have a client that said to me, "When I look I her, that's how I feel." This is exactly what I want to happen. A lot of people project things, creating narratives and turning my portraits into characters. They ask me what I was thinking about when I made the portrait, how it personifies me and my experience. They experience a separation between the portrait and themselves. My client gets it. She sees herself in the pieces. So I guess I have attained my goal to some extent. It may not go so far as to be universal, but I do think the experience depends very much on the viewer and what they are ready for.

There are times when I feel utterly in tune with things; completely open to the world; so in love with every bit of it that no sound, sight or taste can jar me out of my state of joy. That's when I can look upon anything and see the artfulness of it. Every painting or sculpture speaks to me and I "feel it", I feel joy reverberating back at me through the piece. There is always something about a work of art that will speak to you, you just have to be open to experiencing it. Sometimes you have to work a little bit harder, but it can be ever more rewarding when you finally do feel the connection. After all, I think it's a very noble pursuit to seek an understanding with everything and everyone that you encounter.