“By Wondering, We Find Our Way”

I’ve been working on another floral painting, this time with the clear intention, from the very beginning, to follow that path.

I’ve prepared five large, square canvases so there’s a small sense of commitment in place, a quiet nudge to keep moving in a particular direction. Van Gogh once wrote to his brother Theo, “It is surprisingly difficult to know what one can, know or must do. By wondering we find our way, not by sitting still.” I love that thought. It reminds me that painting, like life, unfolds through motion—through the doing.

There’s a particular quality I’m seeking in these florals. They need to happen almost instinctively, with a confidence of mark-making that only comes from time and repetition, a kind of muscle memory. I’m not chasing realism. What I want is that sweet tension between abstraction and representation, the moment where suggestion and form meet, and something quietly emotional begins to emerge.

I’ve always loved painting flowers: their angles, their soft edges, and especially their beauty as they begin to wilt. There’s something tender in that stage, when color fades, and structure relaxes into something imperfect but deeply expressive.

The surface makes all the difference, too. Yesterday I painted on Yupo paper—a synthetic, waterproof surface made of polypropylene. It’s smooth and durable, and wonderfully receptive to my add and subtract method of painting. Each stroke can be pushed, lifted, wiped away, or reimagined. It invites both control and surrender, which feels exactly right for where I am in my work at the moment.

And so, I continue, canvas by canvas, wondering my way forward.

Image 1 - 56cmx56cm Oil on Canvas

Image 2- A3. Oil on Yupo Paper