Baiba Vegere (1948) rarely holds solo exhibitions. Much has changed since one of her rare solo exhibition was held in the 1980s in the House of Science, then known as “God’s Ear” indicating it had once been a church. The venue of her long ago exhibition has been restored to its former appearance and function, highlighted by the gilded cupola glittering in the sun ,but visions of the House of Science still remain in the artist’s memory. Pastel painting, a delicate, fragile and sensitive technique isn’t widely used today but the artist’s interest in it hasn’t waned. Through this medium she has depicted people, mostly women; beautiful, strong, smart with their own secrets, emotional life and intellect. Although her models are mostly her fellow artists and friends, her works also include self portraits. Artist’s self-portraits always elicit a certain fascination but Baiba Vegere’s have a particular flair: her facial expressions convey subtle variations in her reactions to everyday experiences such as enduring a severe toothache, swallowing a sour berry or biting into a hard apple. Her sensitive depiction of hand movements and gestures add another dimension to the images in the composition of her pastels, enhancing the expressivity of the entire image and providing clues to the sitter’s character.