Diamond in the Back. 2023.

Radiant concentrated watercolor and ink on paper.

12”x9” framed.

This year I became a plant-dad! Thank you, thank you. I know, it’s a wonderful blessing. But also quite a duty to be responsible for the lives of other beings. I don’t mind if they end up not looking like me, or want to grow their own ways. I’m just happy to have ‘em around and witness their maturation.

Plants bring an element of calm and stillness. Though they are living, growing, changing, they do so gradually. By studying and painting them, I myself am forced to slow down, breathe slowly and find tranquility.

Behind the flora is a contrasting B&W structure inspired by my … um, my friend’s graffiti moniker, ‘PERP’. The fill is made up of words taken from song lyrics I was listening to while painting. I find myself forever contrasting elements of nature with those of man. I can’t help it, this is just what comes out. Maybe it’s some way of seeking balance.

I work as a color chemist for a liquid color supplier. A couple days every week, I go into their lab and make paint, implementing formulas that have been around since 1934. Along with the pigments, dyes, dispersants and preservatives, I pour my intentional energy and love into these colors. Then I get to take some paint home and set it free onto my own canvas. It’s like being a farmer AND a chef, cultivating your own food, then cooking it into a delectable meal to share.