Every Great Piece Starts With a Brainstorm

Every great art piece has a brainstorm beginning — followed by what I call an “ugly” stage. This is where the idea starts to take shape, even if it doesn’t look like much yet. It can be a little chaotic, a little messy, and honestly sometimes a little discouraging. But it’s also one of the most exciting parts of the process, because the potential is wide open.

The “Ugly” Stage Is Part of the Magic

The ugly stage is real, and every artist knows it well. It’s that point in a piece where nothing quite looks right yet — where the colors feel off, the composition seems uncertain, and it’s hard to imagine how it will ever come together. Even so, this stage is necessary. In fact, it might be the most important part of the entire journey. Without pushing through the ugly, you never get to the beautiful.

Fine Tuning — Where the Piece Finds Itself

After the brainstorm and the ugly stage comes a whole lot of fine tuning. This is where the real magic happens — layer by layer, detail by detail, until the piece starts to feel like what it was always meant to be. It’s a slow process sometimes, and a surprisingly quick one other times. Either way, it’s deeply satisfying.

A Glimpse Into the Process

Sometimes I like to let people see this process from start to finish. At other times, when I paint just for myself, I prefer to protect it — to let it unfold privately until it’s ready to be seen. This particular piece still has a long way to go. It is my intention to post the finished work soon… or if we’re lucky, maybe some more progress pics as time goes on.

Stay tuned.