“When I’m in the “flow state” in my studio, I lose track of time and, at best, even myself. In just one painting, there are so many previous paintings, worlds covered by new worlds. The good parts get saved and the better parts—the precious bits that I fall in love with easily but are notoriously distracting—they get ruthlessly covered over for the benefit of the whole. I work best on a large scale so that there is enough room for all the things—repeating marks, opaque patches of acrylic color bumping up against translucent fields, drawn lines, scrapes, smudges, and smears. I paint fast, but not just intuitively… I love to draw and have found that pulling colors, shapes, and compositional ideas from real-life sources: interior design magazines, children’s book illustrations, technical drawings, or a still life setup, keeps the painting fresh and bold and can bring an element of unease or a strangely-recognizable weirdness to the piece. Weirdness is vital! When a piece is finished (however long that takes), I love the process of coming up a title almost as much as I love painting it. It’s important to me that I find a point of connection with a good title. I will stand back and think about what was going on in my head while I was making the piece—maybe what’s been bothering me or maybe a certain color will stir up a memory. The last thing I want is for someone to feel alienated by my abstract work. Sometimes I’ll pray and ask God for help with titles and sometimes, when they are around, I will also ask my daughters for their feedback—they are definitely honest! In the end, the titles are a gentle invitation to take a closer look for that zing of understanding and the “Oh yeah, I see it!” moment. SIDE NOTE: I’m right-handed, but I draw and paint with my left hand--sometimes both hands at the same time!"