I went through a phase of using metallic gold paint to accent areas of each piece. I noticed while all these pieces don't look exactly the same, they all shared that common thread of gold. Its interesting how as an artist I go through phases of colors and exploration. The gold phase stuck around for a little while. I often wonder why the gold? Hope? Was it aspiration? Others aspirations? One of the portraits I did (see below) was of a special person I got to know well. She was living her life in and out of drug addiction - iron serenity I guess, but I saw her as a precious gift- heart of gold. Another, an impoverished Indian boy - all I could see in him was hard work, rough life, his aspirations to overcome. Yet child like in nature with the human innocence. Pure gold.