One key question a painter should ask is: "Why am I painting this?" The answer to this question provides a guide to what is essential in the painting. Anything else, anything that doesn't further the goal of communicating the painter's answer to the viewer... is extraneous. Anything inessential actually hurts the painting, it obscures the connection between the artist and the viewer. I try to capture what is essential to how I see things.

This strategy guides me in composition. If I am responding to the expression on a face, it might not be important to include even a chin, or a hairline. Focusing on precise areas and limited subjects forces me to devote myself to the painting with an intense concentration. If there is nothing inessential in a painting, there is no part of it where I can allow myself to become distracted.

I judge my paintings by the intensity of their focus. I work hard on my paintings, trying to ensure that a viewer responds to something in them. Respect, both for the viewer and myself, demands that I don't paint anything I don't feel deserves a very careful examination.