As a painter, I am very much propelled by two things - first comes the craft of preparing to paint, which involves building the panels, prepping the surface as the foundation for the paint, and making the paints... and then the activity of painting itself. Here my starting point is Nature. I look to the color and develop the image accordingly. The composition unfolds as the colors relate to each other.
I try to paint as one who sees before thinking about what has been seen. This might be similar to glancing into the woods, only to take a second glance in order to recognize that which began as an impression. When we glance at the world, what we pay attention to is the feeling that comes over us, which then leads to a mood. This mood defines whether we then pay greater attention or not. So, it is the feeling mood of the painting that I work to resolve for the benefit of the viewer. With enough attention, the feeling of the painting will lead the viewer to complete what is somehow already there, but may have been obscured at first glance.
I am not interested so much in self expression or conveying my story. In my recent work I have been inspired by thermodynamics, enthalpy and entropy, the energy of formation and dissolution. Be it physical, social, or political, are we falling apart or coming together? What is the dynamic, can color express the answer?