In 2023, I embarked on a new journey: creating quick 8-inch square portraits in my sketchbook using acrylics instead of oils. What began as an experiment to find a way to paint every day while balancing a full-time teaching position quickly turned into a creative obsession. When the sketchbook’s pages were filled, I set it aside and returned to canvas with a renewed sense of purpose. In many ways, this process brought me full circle—I first started painting out of a fascination with faces: what they reveal, what they conceal, and the ever-shifting play of light and color that brings them to life.
