This was done with sanguine and white pastels on gray pastel paper. When I'm drawing, even though I am doing something two dimensional, it feels as if I'm doing something three dimensional, as if I'm molding clay. The paper is the clay, and my pencil is the carving tool. The blank paper is just waiting to come to life. I especially love using these colors, on a medium toned paper, because the end result almost looks like red clay. I drew this portrait in 2007 when I was in the middle of a huge upheaval in my life. The smile never made it to my eyes that year.