Some recent 8"x10" acrylic paintings

I've been working on quite a few smaller paintings recently. Normally I like to work at a little bit larger size as it's more comfortable and there's more room for detail. Something that I've found with working smaller though is that where it lacks in the depth of detail, the benefits of working fast and experimenting with composition more than make up for it.

"Daydream"
8"x10"
Acrylic on Canvas

One thing about my typical process of making a painting is that I never plan out what I am going to make beforehand. Meaning, I don't sketch out my image on the canvas beforehand. I don't make preliminary sketches or studies. I typically treat each painting I make as the study itself. Considering my personal process, working small and taking bigger risks with compostion can lead to some fortuitous results.

When working on a larger piece it takes some guts to make big changes after a lot of work has gone into rendering the different elements. This definitely gives some credence to planning things out. I personally like to leave space for chance and exploration to occur in the piece itself. It makes the act of creating that much more exciting because sometimes when a piece is finished I get a satisfying feeling of surprising myself.

"Velazquez"
8"x10"
Acrylic on Canvas

Now, this isn't to say that, while I do enjoy leaving many things up to chance, that I don't consider what I'm about to make. A lot of the times when I come with an overarching idea for a series I'll really think about the subject matter I want to express and the various symbolic elements I want to include. After a bit of time and quite a few notes (I'm always taking notes, always writing down words and image ideas), I'll search around for reference images. I have folder after folder of images I have looked up.

"Atrophy"
8"x10"
Acrylic on Canvas

What is it they say? "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." That's how I like to approach my work.