Why I enjoy taking on portrait commissions…

It happens quite often that I sit across from someone who claims everything is fine, while a glance, a silence, or tense shoulders reveal otherwise. Sometimes, the truth behind what was already visible only becomes clear later on. As an artist, I pay even closer attention to these small signals—for me, that is precisely where a portrait begins.

When someone poses for me, a silence emerges that allows me to get closer than words ever could. As I draw or paint, I watch a gaze soften, the outer facade momentarily giving way to the person beneath. It is this intimate moment that I seek to capture and reveal in my portraits.

I create intimate portraits that reveal who a person truly is. The act of posing provides the stillness and space to set aside one’s everyday mask.

My portrait sessions bring together two worlds: my artistic practice and my extensive experience as a coach and mentor.

For over 25 years, I have worked with C-level executives. This has taught me how to ask questions that go beyond the initial response—questions that uncover a person’s core motivations, vision, mission, and the underlying currents that drive them.

As a visual artist and portraitist, I translate what emerges during these conversations—and in the silences between them—into an image that does more than just resemble the subject; it touches upon who they truly are.

Over the years, I have created many commissioned portraits. The final painting takes shape not only at the easel, but also during the posing sessions and the open, profound conversations that unfold.

Perhaps the most telling outcome is this: once a portrait was finished, many of the subjects found themselves missing the sessions.