That's a tough question. What I have found over the years is that most projects and commissions tend to be exciting in some way: either the subject matter or composition captures your imagination, or the client is one you consider important and you want to honor them, or the audience is one you particularly want to connect with. And it's important to find that exciting element and hold on to it, as that feeling will keep you working on the project with enthusiasm through the difficult stages (and there usually are some of these for every painting!)
And in any art museum, portraits are everywhere: in every style, color, and size, from every country and created by every type of artist.
In a portrait's brushstrokes we find a path connecting us to another human on a timeless level.
Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, van Gogh and Rembrandt's many self-portraits, these are just a few of the well-known portraits that have come down to us through the ages. Their popularity is testimony to the power and value of capturing personality, character, and aspect, on canvas.
Oil paint captures the living qualities of the human face and body like no other medium. Skillfully handled, the portrait transcends technique and draws the viewer in, and a single artist creates a treasure for us all.