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Throwing a figure into the middle of a seascape shifts everything.
It becomes more personal.
There’s vulnerability. Identity.
It asks something of you as the viewer — and of me, as the artist.
Most of my coastal pieces carry emotion in a quiet, atmospheric way. But with a figure, that emotion turns inward. The moment becomes about the person in it — who they are, what they’re walking toward, what they’re carrying. It becomes more reflective. Sometimes more honest.
This painting started with a loose sketch — simple lines in my notebook — and a feeling I wanted to follow. I worked from a black and white reference photo, so every skin tone and color value had to be felt out by hand. I went back to one of my art books for palette ideas and mixed my way through a few too-cool, too-flat versions before landing on something that felt soft and grounded.
Her form needed to feel real, but not defined too tightly.
She’s not the kind of figure you look at — she’s someone you meet in a moment.
Like you just caught her in passing.
She took up space — this painting is 48x60 inches — and that scale brought both freedom and challenge. Working large gives you room to move, but it also means you can’t control every inch at once. You have to step back, let it breathe, and come back with a clearer eye.
I kept the curtains drawn in the studio while I worked on her — not because of the light, but because I needed the space to be private. Sometimes I painted. Sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I just looked at her and didn’t touch a thing.
Solitude lets you be honest.
And I needed to be honest with this one.
The water in front of her changed a few times. I wasn’t trying to add detail — I was trying to find softness. I wanted that space to feel open. She could be stepping into something. Or walking out of it. I didn’t want to define it too much. I wanted there to be room for interpretation — space for you to feel what you need in that moment.
Her energy is quieter in this piece.
She’s not running, not leaping.
She’s already there — moving with confidence, even within the unknown.
There’s no rush.
No panic.
Just presence.
This painting still carries the spirit of becoming — but it isn’t about chasing.
It’s about arrival. About belonging.
This piece still holds the spirit of becoming — but it feels different.
It’s not about leaping into something new.
It’s about arriving inside it.
Letting it hold you.
I hope when you look at her, you feel a sense of calm. Maybe some recognition.
That you’re reminded of the in-between moments we all move through — when you don’t know exactly where you’re going, but you step forward anyway.
✦ Now Available
Stepping Into Being, II
Original oil on canvas
48x60 inches
Available now exclusively on my website →
Thank you for being here.