When a painting refuses to behave.

Some paintings cooperate. They move steadily from idea to resolution, as if they already know what they’re meant to be. Others do not.

I’ve been working on one recently that seems determined to test my patience. Each time I think it’s resolved, something feels slightly off — too controlled, too deliberate, too finished in the wrong way.

The temptation is always to push harder, add more and refine further but increasingly, I’m learning that restraint is often the braver choice.

So I’ve been subtracting, softening and letting areas breathe. Allowing uncertainty to remain visible rather than correcting it.

There’s a strange comfort in that stage — the not-yet stage. It requires trust and walking away at the right moment.

I suspect this painting will eventually resolve itself quietly as they often do. Not through force, but through attention.

For now, it continues the conversation.