April 13, 2026

There’s something obstinately unprofound about a chicken, and that makes them fun to paint. They’re slightly ridiculous in a way that’s not unserious, but which rewards a more playful, laissez-faire practice. Things I love about painting with acrylics: messy chaos, unexpected palettes, texture… I find all of these resurfacing when painting chickens in watercolor. It feels whimsical and delightful, I like both the results and the way I joyfully respond to the work. I want to stay in this space for a while, so: chickens!

March 5, 2026

I find myself wrestling - somewhat literally - with watercolor, and - somewhat surprisingly for my usual amount of patience with difficult things - enjoying it. It’s a big change in medium for me. I’m used to acrylics, which are forgiving, bold, messy, and something that lets me paint and repaint and scrape back and tweak and change until I’m done.

Watercolor lets me do none of those things. It needs me to know what I’m doing. It needs planning, pre-sketching, thinking about light and working with the white of the paper. It’s hard to correct. It requires restraint, delicacy, and gentleness.

I am none of those things! And so we struggle together, watercolor and I, to see what we can make.

This piece is painted from memory and inspired by one of my favorite places close to Santa Cruz, CA.