Having been asked many times how I start a painting, where the ideas come from, do I plan it all out etc. etc. I thought I would share the process for a recent piece entitled ‘patterns’.

The constant in my process is journal/sketching... I will sit down and basically write down whatever I’m thinking about - it may be an issue I’m facing, something that has happened to someone I know, maybe a news article or a social media post. Basically I just start writing, at some point I always want to sketch the thought out sometimes it is a single sketch and then straight to painting, often it is more than one and I think about what I’m saying with it or want to say and I continue sketching and making notes until I feel I have a direction for the new painting.

At that point I choose the substrate and size that the art will be and whether it will be in oils or acrylics. When I have that decided, I pickup a brush and do an overall sketch of the piece - no details, just how I’d like to compose the canvas - size of the figure(s), interaction areas between figure(s) and background or foreground. I imagine that while I do this colours and texture are percolating since when I’m ready to work it up they just flow for me. I feel like the concept dictates the colours. I don’t preplan colour and texture I like to let the piece evolve as I work on it. As well, my figures are created from my knowledge base of the human figure and drawing skills - I don’t use photographs or models for paintings.

So ‘patterns’ evolved from my journaling about why I wasn’t moving forward on something and determining that the reason is I was following the same method or ‘pattern’ I always did hence the fact there was no movement.  In recognizing that, the concept evolved to my consideration of why and how it happens, what needs to happen to alter it and ultimately the painting is a figure surrounded with a circle path and then how to allow and acknowledge where disruption, intersection and merging may occur to enable change. The hot palette reflects urgency, motion and intensity that these notions bring toward internal thoughts and external actions - both the influences and the considerations. (My figures typically are produced in purples - see my chat ‘the colour of my people’.

When you look at a number of my paintings, you’ll notice varying levels of abstraction - to the figure, background and the texture overall. Again this is not something I plan in advance. I let the concept and drawing dictate the level of abstraction, brushstrokes and motion. I have completely obliterated figures in some and in others they near high realism. For me, as long as the concept is apparent then I’ve done my job and the painting will resonate with collectors that feel it.

While I’m working I take interim photo’s - it helps me remove myself from the painting so that I can cast a critical eye to the process, check to see if I feel the concept is coming through, make changes, build on areas or keep moving forward. I don’t always know when a piece is ‘finished’ - sometimes I work on them a little bit here and there for a very long period of time, or I may determine I need to put it away for a while and revisit to finish or decide if it is finished. Quite often I’m working on several paintings at one time so it’s easy to set it aside and continue on another. Well, I say easy, but sometimes a piece calls out to me very strongly and I may stop on one piece at any given moment, go straight to another painting-in-progress to make a change or hide it away completely.

On titles... as I choose a concept to pursue I often have a working title and then, as I develop the painting, the name will emerge for me. I lean toward always titling my work as I feel it offers access to the concept for my collectors. That being said, I have been tempted many a time to title it as ‘untitled’ — I think that is maybe because the concept is very personal and a little difficult to share. No matter, I have always wrestled with the reveal of self however, given that my work centres around communication, I feel it’s important to share whatever the concept is... if it’s TMI don’t ask - if you want to know ... please do.