Painting, my process.

Whenever I am asked about how I paint, I usually have a hard time putting it into words.

When I paint, I start by releasing expectations. Whenever I am stuck, it is usually because my hands feel heavy and my thoughts even heavier.

I almost never begin with a sketch or a reference, except for my self-portrait series. This adds another layer of freedom. Naming the final piece only exists after it is born. After its birth, it can be named. I name it based on how it feels to me and how it made me feel while working on it.

It all starts with a direction. A push. A pull. Something guiding me forward. Then colors emerge. I have learned that I lean toward a palette that includes something bright and something unworldly, something to add to the dreamlike mist. From there, I begin to play connect the dots. I see lines intersecting. Slowly they begin to resemble a being, a creature, or a thing.

The reason why I take a while to complete a painting is because I see it as a literal birth. It takes hours and pauses. I leave and come back to the studio with a fresh pair of eyes, only to notice more emerging beings. They usually stare back at me, not in a scary sense, but somehow comforting, safe, and familiar.

Eventually, I begin to sense the end. A circle. A destination. Or sometimes even more questions.

My favourite part comes after, when I am simply observing. Discovering things I did not even notice while painting. This is how the landline to my subconscious feels plugged in. I can tell exactly where I was mentally while creating the piece, almost like reading a log of my inner state.

How transient being started, all I felt was a pull.

then slowly life emerged.

Oh and music,

Working in silence happens ones in every blue moon, whenever I want to get started, either a vinyl from my collection or a playlist that I play to death.

Spotify playlist, current..