art as a process

i think with each painting i do, the more i become aware of what i am doing. it's really a learning experience more than anything and i love to learn.

the most difficult thing is chosing colors for some reason. i think the worst place to be is figuring out which colors to use and which ones not to use. i mean, i suppose it's not all bad but it's frustrating when you like a color at first and then ten minutes later you think to yourself, 'this doesn't look right'. i think that happens to me more than it should. that's why i think for any artist starting out, you should start with painting in black and white to make things about composition and not so much about color balance..

however, i don't remember doing a single black and white painting. i like to make things complicated. i think if things were easy for me, i would get bored. art school was sort of like that. we were told to paint what we see. we had still lifes, models and landscapes. it wasn't until my last two years i was "allowed" to explore the realm of abstraction. i didn't like figure drawing classes because we were forced into making things life like. i always thought 'i know how to do that so what's the point?'

painting for me is like a suduko puzzle or a brainteaser. it stimulates my mind and makes me think outside the box. i like that. painting landscapes and figures exactly how they are- not so much.