This painting emerged unexpectedly, from a photograph taken many years ago. While experimenting with abstract realism, I used my own face as a familiar reference — not to portray myself, but to focus entirely on technique, light, and emotional depth.
As the work evolved, it became more than a study; it turned into a quiet dialogue between past and present.
The looser brushstrokes around the edges contrast with the detailed rendering of the face, reflecting the fading clarity of memory and the persistence of what remains vivid.
Echo of Youth is not a portrait of who I was, but of what still resonates within me.

Added Oct 5, 2025