My paintings are never based on a preparatory sketch or plan. I usually begin with quickly painted shapes, lines, or a configuration. It’s a casual, energetic start and a proposition to contend with. Once I’m locked in, I try to sharpen my focus without extinguishing the life of the nascent image. If I suspend judgement and maintain an open, playful attitude, unexpected pathways emerge, and I can find my way forward.

When I too quickly feel a sense of satisfaction and control, I get suspicious that I’m trading on what I already know; not discovering. When this happens, I need to kill the lovely thing so the unexpected can come into view. It takes a surprising number of adjustments in color and composition along with layering, blotting, scraping, and sanding to arrive at a resolution. It’s the interplay between physicality and thought that makes a painting real.