Morning Song

"It's morning. What I really was trying to capture was that wonderful feeling of being alive. Or of waking up in the morning and feeling great and every-thing's beautiful. That's what the painting is about, really.

"Secondly, it's about the person. It's a very private moment. It's a very intimate moment and the person is alone - getting ready to face the day. Every good portrait of this sort has sense of intimacy about it and a natural, intrinsic sense of romance.

"I chose Nancy Guzik as the model because she's a joy to work with. She's almost the perfect model. No matter what she does, she's absolutely natural. Other people might have been a little self-conscious, but it didn't bother her a bit. And being an artist herself, she understands what goes into the work."