This is a small self portrait. The study I did for this painting you can find here. This self portrait painting is smaller than most of my work, however it holds up well when viewed at a distance. This is due to the high contrast values, vibrant colors in the lips and the larger than life scale of the face within the composition. The figure in this painting appears to be looking through a window, but instead of leading with the eyes, he is perhaps ready to say something. Therefore with “Wanting to speak” I wanted the viewer to focus on the lips and nose of the face. The window of the soul is not the eyes. To me it has always been the mouth, this piece is my way of reflecting that idea.