I've really come to like Mark. I feel like I kind of know him. I guess it is because we are of the same generation, and grew up with the same ideals - respect, civil rights, and a certain fondness for the diversity of the world and its people. When I look at the photos from Panama City I can literally hear him laughing! A man of great knowledge, always keeping his eyes wide open to the cruelty and stupidity of people no matter where in the world you might meet them.

I prime the canvas with a bright orange to symbolize the fire in Mark's spirit, then choose a photo of him arguing at a coffee-table. It seems like the right setting for an extrovert like him. The clarity of the Panama City air suggests a light blue background to me, but suddenly I grow so terribly bored with it! I also used the light blue in my portrait of Eric - and besides, this is in no way the proper background for someone like Mark! He has a special love for other people, and as a psychologist he also knows the darkness of people's souls - including his own! I end up choosing a dark grey, almost black, to fill out the space behind his head. I put it there as a reminder of the high security prison that figures so prominently in his past.

The love that is so important to him is definitely a light green - infused with a dark green to add weight to the color, to make it more dense. And to illustrate the light quality of his talk - I choose Naples yellow. I simply love that colour - it is at once creamy and shy, yet always beaming! Flowing from his lips, I can see his arguments, his statements, his humor. They are beautifully shaped, sharp and round at the same time. And I'm sure his boyfriends appreciate them, too!

I also want the stairs leading to the Gallery Above in there somewhere. But not now. They must wait till after I have applied the brass to the painting. So for now, it is just: "Hi Mark! Thanks for being there to portray! I very much appreciate our conversations at the canvas, and us slowly but surely getting to know each other ..."