Although recurring themes and ideas have naturally emerged in my work, my intention has always been to start with as blank a slate as possible, and build on ideas as they emerge from my psyche.
My paintings invariably begin with a free-roaming improvisation. At the start, I try to actively prevent making any conceptual decisions or judgments about what I’m creating. This, for me, is the exciting part of the process – meditative, therapeutic. The improvisation leads to an eventual inspiration when I see something interesting. Once the idea has been summoned, I attempt to clarify and define it on the canvas.
Even after a defined idea begins to take shape, I find no reason to stay attached to it if a better one presents itself, and the best ones always emerge from impulsive changes in direction. Often this means reworking a composition numerous times as new ideas present themselves. The finished image has little in common with its origins, and very often it results in vastly disparate themes from one canvas to the next – a seascape may be followed by a dancer exploding through a flower, a cosmic sea-horse, or a baby wearing headphones. I have documented several of these progressions on my blog and I enjoy posting images of the works-in-progress on my facebook page as comments on my work sometimes influence the direction it takes.
For me, the process is exciting precisely because the destination is unknown – every canvas remains a problem waiting to be solved, a jumble of color and shapes that demands to be worked out. Images produced by this free association are also surprising in that they suggest specific intentions, and are very conducive to hosting an after-the-fact narrative. I believe this is because of the specific symbolic and metaphoric connections that occur when the analytical mind latches on to something within an ambiguous jumble.
