I often get asked “how long did it take you to paint this” . Which I always felt was a hard question to answer on account of how I work, Breaking up my time between paintings while they breathe and show themselves to me. Because the answer can be so complicated, I would laugh it off and wouldn’t give it the weight it deserved.

I think now, that’s an interesting question! It opens the door for the viewer to start thinking more like the artist.

I don’t think it’s always necessarily important to have to describe what a painting is about. Sometimes a painting takes years to expose itself, and it doesn’t always begin from a perfect idea. Imagery which develops deep in the subconscious ( and it can be things from years back, or things which don’t even get noticed ) start to surface in time and fit together like a puzzle.

Because I personally work this way the most, the painting is in control of me. A natural harmony between the forms on the canvas, the space between the forms, the mood set from the palette, etc. All become import before any emotional aspect of the painting. Not always, but often. Subconsciously I put a lot of care into the overall composition, and how it flows for the viewers eye. What they look at first, and then where the eye moves to. And hopefully it continues moving about the canvas eventually unveiling some type of emotion which leads to using their own imagination to find the story for themselves.