Because I was trained in the academic tradition of painting and have always been inspired by old masters such as Andrej Roebljov, Valentin Serov, Hans Holbein, Johannes Vermeer, and others, the way I perceive the sitter in my role as an artist is also influenced by this classical tradition. I conform to a minimalistic style of portraiture with an empty but coloured background which accentuates the silhouette of the sitter as in an icon. I believe that simplicity in itself has a powerful effect and concentrates all attention upon the person who is being portrayed.