When Nick first told me about this project it seemed like just cheeky fun - nothing to do with his other work. He may still see it that way, but the paintings have become progressively more interesting and tender and now seem to comprise something else entirely. As someone with an irrepressible exhibitionist urge and not a small amount of vanity, I agreed to participate immediately and had trouble sending photos that were anything less than maximally flattering and sexual. Nick made several portraits of me over as many years and each time managed to draw out some vulnerability that I had not intended to expose. I always ended up feeling kind of shy about my portraits, deflated even, but also linked through this unique intimacy with all of Nick’s other models. They are all strangers to me and participating in this exposure together feels joyful.