Portrait ("Stephanie")

Over the last 10-15 years I've struggled with rendering because I got frustrated in "the ugly phases" of the artwork. I never quite got over that bump, and as time went on, my life became busier. I had to produce many micro-artworks quickly. I started to lose my ability to work on one piece over a long period of time. Even with this piece, there were nights I got 10 minutes in and stopped in frustration. But I powered through, rather than giving into that "productivity demon" that's been hanging over me.

This was truly a labor of love, and appropriately enough, is a gift for my wife Stephanie for Valentine's Day. A portrait of her seemed to be just what I needed to stick with it and get through the difficult parts. When I finally showed her tonight, I actually broke down emotionally because of what the act of completing it meant to her and, really, what it meant to me.

Thanks to Dave Greco for his awesome Youtube channel and incredible talent, which inspired me to keep going.