Walk us through what happens in the first five minutes with a blank canvas.

J: One of the first things I learned to do, was to recognize that any knowledge, talent, or skill that we have is a gift from the universe. And our efforts should honor that gift. So one of the first things I do is sit quietly, ... and ask the universe to put blessings on my effort. Then, usually, I have a photo reference next to me. I take some time to visualize the image that I’m going to put on the canvas. I create a picture of it in my mind, first, because, in essence, what we’re putting on the canvas is a representation of what is going on in our mind. 
It’s not the thing itself: it’s an interpretation, an impression of that thing. So I try to get as clear an impression as possible, because with painting, we work from memory anyway. Whether it’s a photograph or a person sitting here, we’re working from memory. We look at the subject. We have to remember what we saw, and then interpret it over here. We look at the subject and interpret. And some impressions, even though they are a mini-second translation, things get lost between that translation. Bottom line, it’s an interpretation. 
So, the first thing is that I honor the universe with a gift. And secondly, I take some time to project that image onto that surface before I make a mark. And go from there. 

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