It was a winter afternoon, the sun slanting through evergreen branches, when something bright red stopped me mid-walk. I had to look twice. I thought it might be a piece of litter because the colour was so vibrant. When I leaned in, I saw the tiniest green stems topped with even tinier red cups.
I took a close-up photo and researched it later. I found out I was looking at Pixie Cup lichen. Perfectly named!
I am always amazed at how nature does colour, texture, and design much better than any human.
What I’m hoping for when I make art is that same sort of reaction. I want someone to stop and take a second look, drawn in by something that they suddenly caught out of the corner of their eye. I want them to look closer, first at what drew them in, and then staying with that feeling of curiosity and discovery and looking for other little secrets that the painting will reveal. Whether they are brush strokes, fingerprints, collage images, sparkles of metallic paint, or the layers of textural history.
I’m really curious — when you look at my art, what do you like about it? What makes you stop and take a second look? Is it colour? Texture? Mood? The title? The feeling of discovering something new?