Lights All Askew in the Heavens

I'm poring over the thousands of photographs I took in Australia and making rough visual notes, earmarking some for further consideration. The process for future paintings starts with this step. I collect the figures, objects, settings, events, and visual arrangements that hold some kind of power for me, some of which will be pieced together later.

Sometimes I seize upon specific elements because of the important personal experiences they represent for me--others are worth noting because they're rife with potential in terms of metaphor, humor, complexity, or visual richness. And sometimes it's just about the color or lighting of an object, or a stranger's expression caught in passing.