Waste Not — Want Not
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This series of paintings came about as a result of how I used to clean my brushes. I did’t have a sink in my studio at the time so a dirty brush would go into a one-gallon bucket for later use, then eventually cleaning. The quicker the water in the bucket got dirty the more often I had to change it, and thus I wiped off my brushes before putting them into the water. I constantly look for ways in life to be more efficient — even seemingly little things add up. A few less trips to the sink for fresh water made my life and my time in the studio that much more streamlined. For years I used a rag or old item of clothing for this task but recently switched to a flattened out paper towel, which resides on my studio table. Once it is maxed out I’d toss it and start fresh. Way easier than a clumsy crumpled up t-shirt or rag. It wasn’t very long after I started pre-cleaning my brushes with paper towels that I started noticing some of the patterns on them were fantastic. I started finding it harder and harder to throw the paper towels away so I just started saving them. What started as completely random combinations of colors, determined by what painting I was working on, eventually became very intentional. It got to where I had multiple works going on at the same time so I could have options where to clean my brush. A few times the napkins actually influenced the color I chose for the painting I was working on because I wanted a splash of that color. It feels good to use my resources even more efficiently.
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