At that time I seldom drew people. Partially I was not confidant of my technical skills. But it was more than that. The figures began a while after Luke died. It is hard to explain. Before he died I was so much in life.

But afterwards, afterwards when I was painting I was immersed in the lives of the women who began to dominate the work. I no longer focused on reproducing the details of what I observed but rather the work was an emotional statement -- the subject's emotional statement not mine -- merging my perception of the subject's mood not as an outsider but as a creator whose feelings were intertwined with hers.

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