I had done so many portraits of people in Africa and Cuba, that I wanted to paint people in Oakland. When I first started the project my only criteria was to have a drink with me at Merchant’s Saloon, downstairs from my studio. The idea was to create a body of work about the 99 percent, most of whom would never have been documented in paint. It occurred to me that most Americans don’t live where they were born, and most of their moves result from a search for work. I later added three lines of biographical information to each portrait, including the sitter’s name, birthplace, occupation, and city of current residence. I planned to paint 99 portraits, but nearly all of the paintings sold and I never could reach 99. Thirteen of portraits hang in the law office of Hunter Pyle Law in Oakland. Hunter said he wanted to be able to point to the portraits and ask his clients,”Are you sure you want to take this to court? There is your jury”. Each portrait is acrylic on canvas, 24” X 18”, painted between 2015 and 2020.