Alameda Base, oil on paper, 7.5 x 11 inches, 2013

As I paint, my ego wants to make the paper in front of me into something. my mind wants to assemble an awesome picture, and if I respond to this I’ll make a cheesy move—I’ll hit on a sentimental object, I’ll put in the pretty blue sky.

I must keep working, I must focus on that mundane, insignificant patch of concrete right in the middle of the picture. Quiet the mind. Don’t consider the product. Don’t appreciate it while I’m making it, just appreciate the completeness of what I’m existing in and try to bring everything forward.

Color is my only indulgence.