Liam.

Liam set up his brewery at twenty-five, with savings, a small loan from the neighborhood credit union, and secondhand equipment he restored himself. The space was an old carpentry workshop in West Asheville, on a street of porches where people say hello. The first year was rough: decent beer, but no name. I created him head-on with an empty background: on a tote he travels well across town. A tote is an unpretentious object, the kind built for daily use, and that fits Liam.

A black bear can flip heavy rocks and logs with ease, and climbs effortlessly despite its size. Liam moves fifty-kilo barrels around the workshop without any fuss; strength, for him, is a tool, never a threat. A canvas bag inherits that character: you sling it over your shoulder, fill it with groceries or books, empty it, and do the same again the next day. In the portrait you only see his friendly face and the skull sweater; what he carries every day goes elsewhere.