Behind the Color — The Start of Vibrant Whimsy.
I’ve been looking back on my progress since becoming a full-time artist last spring. In developing my process, I learn something new with every painting, often shifting the way I work with each discovery. I started as a strict oil painter with a thirst for exploration, and over time, I’ve become a mixed media artist who moves between acrylic and oil depending on what each project calls for.
Color is important to many artists, but focusing on color completely transformed my process for the better. Gone are the days of not knowing what to do with my art block, as I can pick some colors that stand out to me in the moment and paint with intuition. I've been asked if my decisions are random, but everything I do is intentional. Not to mention, I believe that to be truly random is to disregard any mental catalog of inspiration to make something completely thoughtless. Perhaps there is something to consider there, but as of 2025, my artwork has never been random. One piece that continuously stands out to me over the years is Creep from my Identity Series (soon to appear in the Archive), an oil painting I made while I was an undergraduate. The limited palette allowed me the freedom to explore the canvas without worrying about muddying up my colors unintentionally.
Creep, 20x30, oil on stretched canvas, (2022).
If we look to the true start of Vibrant Whimsy, we’d find it in Creep. While there are no rectangles in that piece, it marked the first collision of playful intuition with years of studying painters and their craft. Last April, I revisited Creep and decided to reuse its color palette to try and recapture the spark I felt while painting it. That’s when I began working on Vibe #2 and #3 concurrently.
First, I flooded the canvases with color before meticulously painting rectangles across each 30x20 surface. Originally, they were meant to be a subtle design element — but the vibrancy was so hypnotic that I couldn’t stop until every inch was wrapped in rectangles. Afterwards, I added more layers of color and swirling lines of motion to build rhythm and depth. However, nothing inspired me more than when I finished the first painting of this series, Vibe #1. The completion of such a large project brought me so much joy, and I hung this painting in my hallway to help inspire my way to the Studio.
So, after eight or so paintings in the Vibrant Whimsy series — what’s next? Well, I'm onto the next painting. I still have more to learn from this series. Its patience and reliability might always draw me back, even as the work evolves into something unrecognizably new. I need to keep exploring color varieties, Vibe #5 taught me that, though I didn’t realize it until I saw it wired to the gallery wall in all her glory. The warm palette feels right for the fall season. As the seasons change, so too will my color arsenal.
