I do not paint to depict something or someone exactly, but to make visible a feeling that normally remains beneath the surface. For me, the gaze is always the starting point—that is where the tension, the honesty, and sometimes even the confrontation reside. From this point of view I build the rest.

I choose the colors intuitively, but never randomly. Warm tones provide something human and recognizable, while cool tones create distance. Those two must clash. For me, it is in that tension that life emerges in the painting.

I apply abstract planes at moments when the image becomes “too safe.” I want it to chafe, to feel that something isn't quite right. As if there is a layer over it that you cannot immediately place—an extra layer, a disruption, perhaps even an emotion that is not expressed.

I work somewhere between control and letting go. A portrait must continue to breathe. If it becomes too neat, it loses its power. That is why I leave room for rough edges, visible brushstrokes, and unexpected color choices.