Over the past 40 years or so, I have painted relatively few shamans in profile. But for reasons I do not understand, my new digital explorations have led me into new territory and I’ve been doing many new works in profile. And I think that this one is exceptional. The face is relatable, the colors are muted (at least for me!), there is an interesting interplay of light and shadow. And I decided to reinforce the freedom of the loosely rendered head by applying contrastingly hard-edged, geometrical shapes on top. This image has all the qualities for which I constantly strive but rarely achieve in a single work.