On November 4, 2020, election workers in Detroit’s TCF Center began their count. The ballots therein would help end the reign of a would-be autocrat. True to form, supporters of the autocrat descended on the center, chanted "Stop the count!", and demanded to be let into the center.

One patriot stood before the gathering storm and firmly explained unauthorized persons would not be allowed access to the democratic process. That person was my friend, logistics coordinator Sommer Woods.

Three weeks before the spectacle at TCF, Sommer booked me to refresh her headshots. When we finally had our session, it seemed appropriate to – in addition to headshots – create a portrait that commemorates the historic role Sommer played in defending our democracy: //A shaft of light suggests a door creaking open. The swarming masses held back by nothing more than one patriot’s steely resolve.// Democracy is not self-sustaining. It only persists so long as it is upheld by people of good conscience. People like Sommer.