In this work, I strive for a type of honesty that lives in the space between representational rendering and expressionism. Painted skin becomes tactile; two dimensions create the illusion of a third, a static image takes on movement. It is an exercise in duality: abstract vs. representational, of traditional vs. contemporary, specific vs. universal. By shedding possible attachment to representational qualities, can the painting become more honest, more piercing, and even more real? The purpose is not to achieve equilibrium in duality but rather to continually test its balance.