40 × 30 × 1.4 in
Acrylic on canvas
2025
Unvarnished
Unframed / No hanging hardware
Signature on back of canvas
Background
Inspired by the vibrant colors in a photo of Utah’s arches and wanting to build on my interest in tile design, I created sketches focused on leaving my typical palette and playing with patterned tile in the space. The sketches were made during a 3-month period in Fall 2024, when I lived in WI, and I kept these sketches in mind as inspiration for my next painting.
Now, back in Texas with more time on my hands and wanting a change of pace in my work, I was pretty excited to begin! However, probably due to my attachment to the sketches and not having painted in so long (almost 2 years), my brushstrokes felt unnatural, adding on the “final” layers of paint felt intimidating, and I became frustrated when what felt right to me strayed from the sketches (most discontent around progress shot 7/12).
Originally, I expected to finish within a week, but after struggling and being unhappy with the progress, I took several breaks to contemplate and wait until I had a clearer mindset to paint again. Eventually, I was able to complete it in 1 month.
Even though I now feel quite proud and satisfied with the result, I didn’t feel particularly happy when I initially decided it was done. However, during that time, I also felt no other changes were necessary and trusted that my feelings were a result of being critical of the piece for so long.
Now, looking back in hindsight, this painting was a nice refresher on not being hung up about making “mistakes” and not forcing a direction that felt wrong to me.
40 × 30 × 1.4 in
Acrylic on canvas
2025
Unvarnished
Unframed / No hanging hardware
Signature on back of canvas
Background
Inspired by the vibrant colors in a photo of Utah’s arches and wanting to build on my interest in tile design, I created sketches focused on leaving my typical palette and playing with patterned tile in the space. The sketches were made during a 3-month period in Fall 2024, when I lived in WI, and I kept these sketches in mind as inspiration for my next painting.
Now, back in Texas with more time on my hands and wanting a change of pace in my work, I was pretty excited to begin! However, probably due to my attachment to the sketches and not having painted in so long (almost 2 years), my brushstrokes felt unnatural, adding on the “final” layers of paint felt intimidating, and I became frustrated when what felt right to me strayed from the sketches (most discontent around progress shot 7/12).
Originally, I expected to finish within a week, but after struggling and being unhappy with the progress, I took several breaks to contemplate and wait until I had a clearer mindset to paint again. Eventually, I was able to complete it in 1 month.
Even though I now feel quite proud and satisfied with the result, I didn’t feel particularly happy when I initially decided it was done. However, during that time, I also felt no other changes were necessary and trusted that my feelings were a result of being critical of the piece for so long.
Now, looking back in hindsight, this painting was a nice refresher on not being hung up about making “mistakes” and not forcing a direction that felt wrong to me.
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