From start to finish, each piece evolves spontaneously, an exercise in visual improvisation. I first explore loosely with watercolor or gouache to establish the color palette of the piece. Emergent circular brush strokes, organic marks and anomalies made by the washes of paint inspire the ink drawing that I doodle on top. Every drawn form informs the next. The images aren’t envisioned so much as they emerge, bit by bit, in several hours over several days. Once the ink drawing phase is complete, light touches of colored pencil bring the painting to finish.

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Although each piece begins entirely unplanned, as I work I inevitably become more aware of the balance of light and dark and the sensation of movement through the emerging composition. I challenge myself to maintain the original spontaneity and to give the painting space come to life without letting each mark become overly precious. Staying open to impulse enables me to enter a state of deep, meditative flow while I create. It is this state of flow that brings me joy and contemplation, which is reflected in the mood of the work itself.