16” x 12” oil on canvas panel, 2024.

A year or two ago, someone pointed out that I almost always paint strong female characters in my pieces. It wasn’t something that I was conscious of before, and definitely wasn’t intentional, but I realized they were correct. 

I have finished many paintings since then only to realize that I had done the same. This was one of those pieces. While the subject is attractive and wearing lacy shirt, she looks like she just came out on the good side of a fistfight. 

While I was working on the painting, I wanted to put as much emphasis on the texture of the shirt as I did one the dirt on her face. Something about that juxtaposition seemed really interesting to me.