There’s a moment that happens before I start any new painting — usually just after I’ve finished mixing colors but before I’ve placed my brush into that first bowl of color — where I try to ground myself in whatever has brought me to edge of that empty canvas on that particular day. I think about what is going on in the world around me, whether it’s a concern or something joyful, something going on close to me or at a distance, and I try and let the emotions of that moment guide me as I begin to tell the story of the painting.
While I’m always seeking the newness of an idea or approach, I’m also reflecting the emotions that brought me to the painting in the first place, trying to capture a moment in time that has either already happened or is unfolding in the moment. I find inspiration in this tension.
Coming to terms with continuous change or impermanence is what I have been trying to examine in my paintings over the past months. “Gratitude” and “In the Moment” are my attempt to capture the delicate balance between what’s new and what’s fading.
40” x 40” acrylic on canvas.