I get asked a lot: how do you actually make a painting?
And I love this question, because the answer is never what people expect. They think there's some orderly, step-by-step, Pinterest-worthy process happening. There isn't. At least, not at first.
Here's what actually happens in my studio.
It Starts Before the Canvas
Before I ever pick up a brush, something has already started. It might be a feeling I've been carrying around for days — some emotional texture I can't shake. It might be a color combination I saw in nature that stopped me cold. It might be a word, or a line from a poem, or a moment in a yoga class where something cracked open.
I live with that feeling for a while. I don't rush to the canvas. I let it build. Then, when I can't not paint, I begin.
Step 1: Preparing the Canvas
I start with either a pre-stretched canvas or a wood panel, depending on what the piece is calling for. I always apply a base coat — usually a warm gesso or a toned ground. For my botanical and abstract pieces, I often tone the ground with a soft ivory, dusty rose, or sage green.
Step 2: The Background — Cool and Grounding
This is where my Chill-and-Glow Technique comes in. I always build my backgrounds in cool tones. Teal, muted sage, dusty blue, soft grey.
Colours I reach for: Phthalo Green, Prussian Blue, Payne's Grey, Titanium White, Alizarin Crimson
Step 3: The Foreground — Warm and Glowing
Once the background is established, I begin the foreground layers in warm tones. Blush pinks, dusty rose, warm gold, burnt sienna, yellow ochre.
Colours I reach for: Quinacridone Magenta, Cadmium Orange Hue, Raw Sienna, Naples Yellow, Warm Gold metallic
Step 4: The Botanical Elements
I work from large to small. Big shapes first, establishing placement and proportion. Then smaller details. Then the finest details last. I paint loosely — I try to make alive flowers, not perfect ones.
Step 5: The Extras
Sometimes that's gold leaf. Sometimes resin. Sometimes crystals, embroidery thread, or texture paste. I don't always know what's coming in this stage. I just respond to what the painting is asking for.
Step 6: The Poem
Every painting I make gets a poem. I write it after the painting has told me what it is. The poem lives in the listing. It goes with the painting when it sells.
Step 7: Varnishing and Finishing
Once completely dry, I apply an archival varnish. Then I sign it. And then I let it go. That last part is its own practice.