I am a huge fan of music, especially orchestral/instrumental and classical music; and like a conductor, I miss conducting my paintings with fluid gestural motions. I didn't want to return to my abstract expressionist days as my aim was always to be able to paint portraits and figurative. But the tightness of my post 2016 paintings didn't feel satisfying anymore. I yearned to paint more loosely, again, like an orchestra conductor, free and fluid, but with purpose.