"I posted a work-in-progress of this some weeks ago and now this portrait is finished, and many, many thanks are due to Johnny who manfully stood hour after long hour in a dancer’s pose so I could depict him. It’s wonderful to meet someone who is so passionate about his dance life and his heritage, and since he is interested in traditional dances of various parts of Mexico, there will be more of this beautiful model in other costumes. Johnny is half Mexican-American and half African-American, and has a beautiful baby face despite just turning 25." June 13, 2020
"He bravely modelled the whole thing from life, in multiple painting sessions. We decided to show him in his costume for Mexican traditional dance, the first of three that I’ve completed so far, with red, white and green backgrounds, the colors of the Mexican flag. This particular shade of teal green is one of my favorite colors and it was inspired by the green sash and bow tie of this wonderful costume." May 15, 2021
