Every Painting Begins Long Before the First Brushstroke
People often ask me where an idea comes from. Was it planned? Was there a photograph? Did I know exactly what I wanted to paint before the canvas was ever touched? Sometimes the answer is yes. More often, the answer is no. Most of my paintings don’t begin with an image..
They begin with a feeling. A question. A memory. A conversation that stayed with me. A Scripture I couldn’t stop thinking about. A season of grief. A moment of unexpected joy. Long before there is paint on a canvas, there is already a story asking to be told.
Color Speaks First
I’ve learned that color often says what words cannot. Deep blues have carried my prayers. Gold has become a reminder of God’s presence in broken places.
Rich reds have spoken of sacrifice, courage, and love. Sometimes I choose the colors. Sometimes the colors seem to choose me. As the painting grows, I begin to understand why they belonged there all along.
Every Viewer Brings Their Own Story
One of my favorite things about sharing my work is hearing what other people see. Someone will stand quietly in front of a painting and tell me it reminds them of their grandmother. Another person sees hope. Someone else sees loneliness. Another sees healing. None of those interpretations are wrong. Art is a conversation. Once a painting leaves my studio, it no longer belongs only to my story. It becomes part of yours.
The Stories Hidden Between the Brushstrokes
Not every story is obvious. Sometimes it lives inside a single expression. Sometimes it’s hidden in layers of texture beneath the paint. Sometimes it’s found in what I intentionally left unfinished. I don’t paint simply to create something beautiful. I paint to invite reflection. To slow people down. To ask questions that don’t always have easy answers. To remind us that our lives are also layered—with memories, wounds, faith, hope, and becoming.
More Than a Painting
Every piece I create carries a season of my life. Some were born from difficult days. Others from celebration. Some from quiet moments with God. Others from questions I was still learning how to ask. None of them exist simply to decorate a wall. My hope is that they create space. Space to pause. Space to remember. Space to heal. Space to wonder. Because every painting begins with a story. And perhaps, somewhere within it…
you’ll discover a little more of your own.
“Where color tells the story words cannot.”