Gabe Leonard has a unique ability to create a moment in time for his characters and let the viewer determine how they got there and what will happen next. He says, “I tend to put them in a transitional moment. I don’t always make it obvious if something has already happened or about to happen. The perception of violence is almost always up to the viewer.” In particular, he creates technically brilliant cinematic, figure paintings with a finely crafted ambience. For instance, this scene looks like it could be from a western movie. Gabe brings the viewer into a world rich with cinematic atmosphere and narrative intrigue. Furthermore, he likes to leave the storyline of his characters up to the viewer’s imagination. For example, he lets his viewers determine the motivations and circumstances for the characters that he creates. What is your interpretation of Shoot the Messenger?