The Room Above Has a Waterfall

This is the biggest painting in the group. I started it in 2022 and worked on it toward an exhibition at the John Martin Gallery in London in 2023 but it wasn't ready for that show. Paintings go on their own journeys, often without any guidance from me for long periods.

It prowled restlessly inside the canvas looking for an escape. The impact of pent up brushstrokes, followed by long periods of just settling itself. There is a figure with a cage and birds underneath, he jumped ship from the sketchbooks. Eventually abstraction grew over it.

The exploding pinks came from a summer spent painting inspired by what felt like truly seeing roses and hydrangeas for the first time. To get that impact I made a big batch of oil paint, loaded up a brush and threw it directly at the canvas. The painting sealed itself with the dark blue form on the right and the orange and yellow shapes on the opposing left. It finally agreed on where it wanted to be.