I suppose we all tend to take for granted our own inherent talents. To me, doing algebra or writing a computer program is no big deal; it seems like a reasonably smart monkey could learn to do it. But painting or sculpting — those are gifts that I don’t really understand at all. (One of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen was the self-portrait I had to paint in high school art class. I hope it was safely destroyed long ago.)

So when I see something like this, it’s almost mesmerizing. How does he know to leave that curve on the right for the hair to fill in later, or which colors to start with that’ll end up blending later to make the right skin tones? I know some of that can be learned, but a real artist’s eye is a God-given gift that, combined with study and practice, makes for something extraordinary that I can only envy.