My paintings and drawings of Black women always begin with live models and are a happy celebration of all kinds and shapes of women.  I paint women of different ethnicities in about the proportions they appear in figure drawing classes in my area, although Black women may be slightly overrepresented because several of my favorite models were African American.  When drawing or painting women, I am attracted most to their curvaceous sensuality, but the women I paint are also self-confident and direct.  I start with media that are swift and sensual, and work quickly to capture the model or her mood.  I may leave this spontaneous portrayal as the completed figure drawing, or I may work the drawing into a complex painting or collage, often playful, energized with patterns.  My paintings of women are characterized by their bold sensuality and direct gaze.  My stylistic inspiration comes from powerful realists like Michelangelo, as well as from masters of color and sensuality like Gauguin, Klimt, Matisse, Degas, and Van Gogh.