The quest

Starting a new painting is a bit like setting off on an adventure. I don’t know where the journey will take me, but I feel pulled toward a place where symbols, textures, shapes, light, and color might reveal something unexpected. Few paintings have embodied that sense of discovery more fully than my latest work, The Quest (shown below).

Like every still life I paint, I rely on intuition rather than rationality to tap into an inner world where ideas emerge through the symbolism of the objects I choose. I get a sense that certain things belong together. Without forcing a preconceived narrative, I allow the objects to guide me as I look for connections that resonate beneath the surface. My hope is that those connections remain open, inviting the viewer to bring their own experience into the conversation.

The Quest is my largest painting to date, so the journey was longer than most. It took about 18 months from the first object placed on the table to the final brushstroke. That time was spent not only selecting and arranging the objects, but rendering every detail with the sustained attention hyperrealism demands. I expected that level of immersion to deliver a clear, decisive insight. A sense of arrival.

But that didn’t happen.

THE OBJECTS

Usually, by the time I finish a painting, I understand why I painted it. This time, I couldn’t quite articulate what connected the objects in a way that felt conclusive. I began to question my process. Why did I paint this? Was I trying to impose meaning where none existed? Were all my still life paintings merely decorative, charming depictions of quirky things, devoid of real substance?

Eventually, it occurred to me that perhaps the answer wasn’t about arriving at meaning, but about the act of asking.

My work has always been rooted in searching, sifting, and examining the things people collect as a way to uncover insights about the world we create. These objects carry personal histories, cultural echoes, and subtle associations that unfold slowly over time. I think of my paintings as spaces for reflection, places where clarity can emerge gradually through repeated looking. There is no definitive destination, only an ongoing invitation to engage, consider, and keep asking.

THE PAINTING

The quest

Oil on linen, 60X40 inches