For a long time, I used to make paintings within just a few hours. Now, I can be working on several pieces at once, leaving one alone when I don’t yet know what comes next.
Sometimes I am “in conversation” with a work, moving from chaos to surrender as the process unfolds.
The process has shifted from speed to something slower, layered, and less predictable. The process has shifted from speed to something slower, layered, and less predictable.
Freedom in the Painting Process
I can be inspired by other artists, but while working I need to find my own way back into the painting.
And that freedom isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s messy, stubborn, or completely unclear. There are days when a canvas stares back at me like it’s calling me out on my own bullshit. I like that. I want my work to challenge me, to make me uncomfortable before it feels right.
The shift
I’ve learned to leave a painting alone when I don’t know what comes next. That used to make me restless. Now I know that I don’t always have to solve it immediately.
Painting as surrender
Painting, for me, is not always about control. Sometimes I have to trust what is happening on the canvas, even if I don’t understand it yet.
