These two portraits were the first drawings I ever created for someone else: for Lisa, a musical theatre actress. Until then, drawing had always been something I did for myself, but this was the first time I wanted my art to become a gift. I paid so much attention to her expressions, the elegance, and the contrast between light and shadow, hoping to capture the beauty I saw in her. This was the turning point in how I understood art: not simply as a way of expressing what I felt, but as a way of giving something of myself to another person.