This work is of my friend Kat, who embodies a stoic strength paired with a very soft inner world, which I wanted to depict. I was thinking about creating a visual narrative that speaks to how it seems she sees the world. I chose an intimate perspective, perhaps within a setting of domesticity, where we are never entirely vulnerable. She’s nude but she’s still maintaining power over whoever it is she is deciding whether or not to forgive. I like the idea of a mixed message or convoluted narrative; pillow talk business deal, or a whispered threat of violence. These incompatible natures are what I find interesting in painting the portrait, as people, and women, are so often hypocritical or nuanced.