It all started with a swallow - an hirondelle - my daughter had drawn in colored pencil. I thought it was a good project, so I painted my own and tried to keep it simple… but invariably, it ends up being super complicated!

I am always looking to do the opposite of what is expected in my paintings. When people see music notes and hirondelles, they expect some sort of… flow. Hirondelles soar with the wind, and music glides with chords, melodies, and harmonies. I really wanted a spirit of contradiction and disconnect - so I decided to make my sky out of blocks, with an intense and vivid blue color separating them. Then I also added some 3D clouds, because why not???

Well, after painting my first coat, I realized there was too much disconnect between my background and hirondelle, and I entered what I like to call “panic mode!” That’s when I started really listening to my painting… which right now was screaming “BALANCE ME!” So I softened the blocs, mellowed the colors, and added detail to the bird to get a Blurred vs. Detailed effect. I finally liked it! SUCCESS!

What always ends up getting so complicated in your life, that you need to stop for a minute and just listen?