I paint to release an alternate spiritual reality beyond the surface of
the ordinary material world we all inhabit every day.
To me, a painting is dead if it doesn't arouse emotion or
communicate an emotional state--a spirit--of its own. Since I am
moved primarily by the spirit behind or emanating from a painting,
the biggest challenge is to let the painting speak for itself, without
censoring it or over-controlling what comes through the work,
unintentional or not. In a sense, a painting never belongs to the painter
so it's the painter's responsibility to step back and let the painting
create itself.