Totally Abstracted

Why Your Painting Looks Better in Your Head

In this episode I reflect on the frustrating gap that often exists between the painting we imagine and the one that actually appears on the surface. I talk about how imagination has no physical limitations, while painting is always a negotiation with materials, decisions, drying times, colour, texture and process. I explore how this gap isn’t necessarily evidence of failure, but proof that our eye is developing and reaching toward something more nuanced. The goal isn’t to force a painting to become the exact image or feeling we first imagined. Instead, it’s about staying responsive to what begins emerging through the process itself.

When You Start Painting for the Outcome (And Everything Tightens Up)

I recently started a couple of paintings with the intention that they might become part of a collection I’d sell, and almost immediately I felt a shift. Nothing about my tools or process had changed, but the way I was painting had. My marks became tighter, I hesitated more, and I started second guessing decisions I would usually make instinctively. It made me realise how subtle the moment is when you stop painting with the work and start painting for an outcome, and how that shift can take the freedom and energy out of a painting. In this episode I explore the difference between direction and pressure, and how trying to make a painting “work” can lead to control rather than discovery. I talk about noticing when intention becomes restrictive. and finding small ways back to instinct and helping the work feel alive again. If you’re drawn to expressive, intuitive painting, come join me inside Abstract Horizons, my creative community for artists who want to paint with more freedom and emotion. You can take a look here:👉 https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551 [https://www.skool.com/beyond-the-horizon-1551]

Why Painting Bigger Feels Better (But Looks Less Like You)

In this episode I talk about what happened when I recently went bigger with my painting, working on a 60 x 90 cm piece in my very small studio (which, at one point, literally fell on my head). But beyond the practical challenges what really struck me was the difference between how the painting felt to make and how it felt afterwards. During the process I felt freer, looser, more instinctive. But when I stepped back, something didn’t quite sit right. The work didn’t fully feel like mine. That led me to reflect on what’s really happening when we change scale. I started to realise that my style isn’t just about what I paint, it’s tied to how I move, the rhythm I work in, and the pace of decisions I’ve internalised over time. Painting bigger disrupted that rhythm, and suddenly I was working in a language I don’t yet feel fluent in. But instead of seeing this as something going wrong, I’m choosing to see it as a process of learning, understanding how my voice translates at a different scale. In this episode, I explore that shift, and what it might mean if your work ever feels both better and less like you at the same time.

When Painting Isn’t Relaxing

In this episode I talk honestly about something that doesn’t get said enough, painting isn’t always relaxing. While art can be a powerful release and a way to quiet the mind, especially for me when my OCD is busy, there are also days when everything feels stiff, resistant and frustrating. I share a recent studio session where nothing seemed to work, from struggling with oil and cold wax medium on paper, to scraping everything off, to forcing a quick piece just to feel productive. It led me to question why I felt the need to “get something done” at all, and how easily that pressure can creep into creative work. I reflect on how much of that pressure comes from being used to output-driven environments, and how painting doesn’t always follow that logic. What shifted things for me wasn’t pushing harder, but changing the conditions, simplifying my palette, switching surfaces, and allowing curiosity back into the process. This episode is a reminder that difficult sessions are part of the practice, not a sign that something’s gone wrong. Sometimes the best work comes not from forcing a result, but from loosening your grip and approaching things differently.

Done For Now: Rethinking When a Painting Is Finished

In this episode I reflect on what it really means for a painting to be finished. After moving away from the faces I’d been exploring and returning to looser, more expressive abstract landscapes, I’ve been thinking a lot about the rhythm of making. I’ve been sharing some of these pieces online and noticing how easily the act of posting can make a painting feel like it has to be complete. I explore the difference between sharing a moment in a painting’s life and declaring it finished, and how those two things don’t have to be the same. This episode is really about giving paintings the time they need, even when we’re sharing the process publicly.