Inside the Process: How the Work is Made

Preparation

Preparation begins with inquiry rather than material. Although the finished works appear intuitive and fluid, their abstraction often prompts questions regarding structure and method. The process is grounded in observation and research that precede any physical engagement with paint.

The initial phase is anchored in location. Each body of work originates in a destination and in the act of moving through a place with deliberate attentiveness. Travel functions as primary research. During this period, written notation accompanies experience, recording shifts in light across the day, atmospheric conditions, sensory impressions, fragments of conversation, and the physical texture of streets, architecture, and terrain. These observations are not illustrative references but perceptual data that inform how a place is internalized. The aim is to understand how geography imprints itself on the body and consciousness.

Attention is also given to the cultural and historical identity of a place, including its social conditions, conflicts, and continuities. Experience is gathered without directing it toward a predetermined visual outcome, allowing the material to remain open and generative.

Incubation

Incubation follows as a period of reflection. Although no painting occurs during this stage, conceptual formation continues. Visual decisions are intentionally deferred. Sketching is largely avoided, as it introduces compositional certainty prematurely and limits the work’s capacity to evolve. Instead, the process centers on writing and contemplation around color, surface, scale, spatial direction, and emotional register. Direction is considered before composition, allowing relationships to emerge gradually. This openness preserves the work’s responsiveness and acknowledges divine authorship in the act of making, permitting form to arise through discernment rather than assertion.

Illumination

Illumination marks the point at which orientation becomes evident. At this stage, the work has acquired an internal coherence. There is clarity regarding the emotional temperature of the piece, the type of movement it requires, and the appropriate scale and support. Material decisions become legible, though the work remains unresolved. The process retains its exploratory nature, guided by intention rather than fixed design.

Creation

Creation occurs through direct engagement with surface and material. Birch wood panels serve as the primary support due to their density and resistance. Their structural stability allows for repeated layering, removal, and reapplication without compromising the integrity of the surface. This resistance is essential, as it enables physical negotiation between artist and material. Acrylic paint supports a similar flexibility, capable of behaving as both fluid wash and dense mass. Oils are introduced when temporal depth or viscosity is required. Medium selection is determined by the conceptual demands of the work rather than preference.

The paintings develop through stratification. Layers range from translucent fields to heavily compressed passages that evoke geological processes. Not all layers remain visible. Many are obscured or fully buried, reflecting the selective nature of memory and the accretive formation of land. What persists is shaped by pressure, duration, and presence rather than intention alone.

Color functions sensorially and structurally rather than descriptively. It draws from mineral palettes, atmospheric conditions, and environmental residue. Color communicates temperature, movement, and internal sensation rather than literal representation. This approach invites viewers to project their own experiences of place, memory, and identity into the work.

Evaluation and Verification

Evaluation and verification rely on time and restraint. Periods of drying, distance, and return are integral to the process. Stepping away alters perception, allowing the work to reveal its own internal logic. This stage requires attentive listening to the surface and to the accumulated material history of the painting. Decisions emerge as a response rather than correction.

Faith is central at this point of resolution. Creation is regarded as a G-d-given responsibility and an act of worship expressed through sustained attention. The work is not devotional in subject, but reverent in method. Careful observation, restraint, and respect for material parallel a belief in the inherent significance of land, history, and lived experience. Completion occurs when the work reaches coherence rather than perfection.

The finished painting does not function as a depiction of place. It serves as a record of presence. It reflects the act of standing within a landscape, allowing it to shape perception, and translating that transformation into a form capable of holding it.