“I personally like facial expressions. I like the gazes seen in the work and the message and questions written on their faces. For that to happen, I have to have a very simple and flat background that does not interrupt the subject—because there is a lot happening. . . . I’ve been looking at painters like Egon Schiele, Klimt, and Maria Lassnig. I like the playfulness of brushstrokes, the color application…I like everything. How free Schiele just paints…It is not necessarily how I want to paint, but is how I want to see my work. I get a lot of figuration inspiration from him. I didn’t so much dive into his life, but how he plays with colors, how he sketches. Just the way he works with the composition.”