Some of you have asked me about my creative process and why I always seem to be working on many paintings at a time. 

In a previous day job, I coached my clients to do less, so that what they chose to do could grow bigger and create a more lasting impact – because diluted focus tends to get diluted results. But this is no good when it comes to my art practice. 

I like working on several parallel projects. In my studio I have a lot of canvases in several stages going on; because playful beginnings, the messy middle, clarifying stages and finishing touches all demand different kinds of focus. That way I can choose what to work on depending on how much time and energy I’ve got. 

Another aspect is that what’s going on in one painting often seems to inform the next and what I discover in one place might lead me towards resolving a painting that got stuck somewhere along the process. It’s a win-win situation.

This is absolutely not multitasking, I’m a huge fan of monotasking. I focus on one thing at a time and  try to show up in my studio before or after my shift. I like  spending most of my spare time painting. 

My overall goal is to have fun, trust the process and enjoy life!

Besides working my day job, and being knocked down by a virus this month, I’ve also created some new weird portraits. Since time (and body) was not on my side, I chose to do some small work – and to my surprise 3 of them went overseas to their new homes this month. What a joy!

Inspiration

This month I had the pleasure of visiting the new exhibition The Shape of Freedom opening at MUNCH museum in Oslo showcasing many of my favourite abstract expressionist artists like Kline, Pollock, Rothko, Frankenthaler, Krasner, Mitchell to mention a few. The experimental techniques these artists did at the time is well known to most art students today, but back then this was a revolution in painting.

Click here to check out the exhibition

I believe that your path shapes you. If you choose a different path, you will experience different things – both in the studio and in life.