ABOUT THE PAINTINGS:

Earlier this year I experienced a bit of creative's block. Similar to writer's block, but with painting.I couldn't figure out what I wanted to create, and the lack of ideas seemed to spiral into thoughts of "what if I never get inspiration again?" Of course, that is silly and ridiculous; I knew I would get inspiration again, I was just annoyed it wasn't arriving on demand.

But instead of sitting around, I decided to just play in the studio. No goals, no sketches, no pressure. I pulled out every art supply I have- from oil pastels to charcoal to oil sticks (for those unfamiliar, they are basically oil paint in stick form)- and just made art. While a few did in fact inspire ideas for future projects, there were a few others that just found their way into the garbage. There was one painting though- of an abstracted iris made from inks and watercolors and gouaches and graphite- that I couldn't wrap my head around. I loved the passion and its brushstrokes and how the various paints were almost ghost-like renderings of themselves, but it didn't feel finished and I wasn't sure how to get it there. So I placed it onto my drafting table and tried to ignore it.

Then one night a few weeks later- just as I was about to close up the studio- I was struck with an idea and quickly cut the painting into twenty-eight equal 4"x4" squares. I poured through all of the flower photos I've taken over the past few months, picked my twenty-eight favorites, and then set about sketching a different bloom per square. (I'd say they were blind contour drawings, but I cheated every so often and looked down for reference, so let's call them "failing eyesight" contour drawings.) Wanting just a little more something I added one solitary metallic gold line per piece- a reference to an artist mentor I have, as well as a nod to the gilding of Renaissance paintings.

And just like that, I fell in love with them. The simple white ink-work against the complex and dynamic backgrounds, the black paper that plays tricks on your mind about what is and what is not negative space, the shine from the gold ink- they came out even better than I could have imagined. 

Curious as to why I settled on the name "Jigsaw" for the collection? It is actually very straightforward. While each of the twenty-eight pieces are complete paintings on their own- when they are arranged together in the correct order, you're able to step back and see the original iris painting- just like a jigsaw puzzle.