The Infinite Canvas

 The Infinite Canvas: My Lifelong Apprenticeship in Art

Selfie with a Joan Mitchell painting.

These last twelve years I have been a student of joy, but I’ve learned that in the world of fine art, joy is often hard-won. The pursuit of artistic fulfillment isn't a destination; it is a relentless, beautiful, and occasionally maddening quest. It is a commitment to a curriculum that has no graduation date—a lifelong enrollment in the school of seeing.

Looking Back to the Past

In becoming an artist, I’ve learned that I need to learn more about art history and past artists, those beyond Monet. I’ve found myself captivated by the lively, elegant lines of Giovanni Boldini, the intimate and colorful domesticity of Bonnard, and the flat bright abstraction of Diebenkorn.

Then there is Joan Mitchell*. To see a Mitchell in person is to understand that paint is not just color, but energy. Her massive abstract works demand a physical response; her brushwork is a visceral record of movement. Learning the stories and sensibilities of these masters hasn't just added to my knowledge—it has fundamentally recalibrated my color palette and my courage.

The Artist’s Tools

Tools for an artist are much more complex than paint and brushes. There is an overwhelming world of bristle and steel, pigment and medium, canvas and varnish. Through a cycle of trial, error, and shared wisdom from fellow artists, I am finally finding the tools that work best for me.

Lately, I’ve been enamored with the oil stick. There is something primal and direct about holding a thick, pigmented stick of oil paint. It blurs the line between drawing and painting, allowing me to "write" in color directly onto the surface. It’s a reminder that even after years of study, a new tool can make you feel inspired again.

The Complexity of Light and Pigment

I have come to accept a humbling truth: I will likely be painting for the rest of my life and still feel I have not reached the summit. The "simple" act of color mixing is a rabbit hole of infinite depth. We are taught in childhood that "blue and yellow make green," but the artist knows this is a lie of simplification.

A dash of Ultramarine mixed with Cadmium Yellow Medium creates a green that is worlds away from a mix using Cerulean or Lemon Yellow. When you introduce white, or a neutralizing third color, the possibilities expand exponentially. I’ve spent hours meticulously crafting color charts**—inspired by Richard Schmid’s seminal Alla Prima II—treating them as maps for a territory that is constantly shifting.

One of my Color Charts, note the Cerulean and Ultramarine Blues.

The Language of Art

Art has its own vocabulary. It took me many hours of workshops and painting and reading to fully comprehend terms like half-tone, saturation, and temperature.

I find myself most at home in the world of Alla Prima—working "wet-in-wet." There is a high-stakes thrill in manipulating paint before the air claims it. It requires a presence of mind that is both exhausting and exhilarating; you are negotiating with the medium in real-time.

The Eternal Student

I am, by nature, inquisitive and I believe one needs that curiosity to thrive as an artist. I often feel as though I am enrolled in a self-directed, endless graduate program. My "professors" are the art mentors I consult and the colleagues I debate with, but the most profound discoveries usually happen in the quiet solitude of the studio.

This pursuit is a paradox: it is frustrating, fascinating, and frequently daunting. But more than anything, it is a life lived wide awake. There is always one more shadow to understand, one more harmony to find, and a lifetime of learning left to do.

* This photo was taken at the Phillips Collection, Washington DC and is of me and a Joan Mitchell painting. I highly recommend a trip to the Phillips Collection Museum.

**Richard Schmid's book, The Alla Prima II is a highly revered must-have book for many painters. One chapter encourages artists to create color charts of their palettes (I have done this twice and with each of the 11 colors on my palette).