When You Have to Trust the Brush
As an artist, there are moments when you approach a blank canvas with a vivid roadmap—every color pre-selected, every stroke calculated.
This painting was not one of those moments.
In my latest video (which you can watch below), I document the high-paced stop-motion creation of an abstract piece that, I’ll admit, intimidated me. When I laid down the first wash of color, I had no reference material and zero preconceived notions of the final result. I didn’t know where it was going, or even what mood I was trying to capture. I was starting with nothing but a desire to move paint.
This is a daunting place to be. It’s the zone where the internal critic lives, whispering that this is the one that will fail. But at a certain point, the intimidation gave way to professional muscle memory.
I decided to stop questioning every layer and lean entirely into the process. This isn’t just about hoping for the best; it’s about having confidence that, as a seasoned artist, I possess the tools and intuition to work through the “ugly phase” and find the structure, balance, and energy that makes a piece successful.
The high-speed format captures the manic energy of that freestyle layering—the constant back-and-forth between adding details and covering them up. The process was chaotic, yet by the time the final reveal hits, I found a composition that I’m truly happy with. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the best pieces are the ones you don’t control, but rather the ones you allow to happen.
Watch the full creation process here above….
