The First 30 Minutes

Painting in the winter morning sunlight feels fresh, and I am surprised at how much I am getting into this set of canvases. They are all the same size but have different textured linen. Some are raw linen and soak up everything, giving the effect of a chalk pastel. Others are stretched with this fine portrait linen which makes the paint giddy with the fluidity of movement.

These paintings have an inherent memory of places and backgrounds. They might grow up to be landscapes or choose to become something completely different.

I could work for months, or even years, to end up with the simplicity that was there in the first 30 minutes of painting.