The reference for this work came from a photographer for the Victoria Newspaper, named Bill Johns. He photographed Thomas Davies (1876-1977) a WW1 Veteran (photo taken 1964). When I focus on portraits, I am not only trying to capture their realism; I am capturing and showing the window into the soul. The soul, through the eyes, draws the viewer in, giving them an emotional connection to the story of the subject. This is one of my favorite pencil drawings because of the deep story his face expresses.