Personages from my past and present have spoken to me in a familiar language that demanded a translation of their own ‘essence’ into visual form. Using the methods exampled by Cézanne and Matisse, I have sought to create portraits that are revelations of both the sitters and myself. The totality of an individual’s being is ineffable. Thus, the task of the portrait artist is limited to an evocation. ‘Essence’, attributes that identify a unique entity provide the necessary links to this act of re-creation. While some subjects depict strangers, the majority have developed from physiological and psychological investigations of individuals I have known. Drawing delivers form to a portrait. While the likeness of a sitter initially resides in the eye and the mind of the artist, conversion of this mental image into a visible representation requires the physical engagement of the artist and her medium.