his picture is from the biography "Robert Kennedy and His Times." The source photo is particularly poignant because RFK is depicted wearing his slain brother's bomber jacket with the presidential seal on the breast, giving the painting a melancholy "what might have been" feeling. Not long ago, I saw a photo of Attorney General Janet Reno sitting in her office. Behind her was an oil painting nearly identical to this pastel, clearly taken from the same photo. I started this painting, paused, did the entire Joe Steffan painting, then resumed and completed this one. The likenesses from this point forward improve because I started using a grid and tracing paper to map out the precise location of the features. This is also the first composition set in a real place. Previously, my work had plain colored backgrounds. Backgrounds are difficult for me because they don't engage my interest like the portrait.