In my recent body of work, I have been using an exploratory, photo-based process to create abstract or semi-abstract images that I find visually striking or evocative. I have no predetermined result in mind. The most satisfying and successful images come by surprise. To begin, I select various materials such as paper, cardboard, ribbon, cord, cloth, flowers, drawings, etc. and arrange them on either a tabletop or another painting. I intentionally position some elements while leaving others to chance. Then, I move around the arrangement, capturing photos of anything that catches my eye without much deliberation or editing. I typically take hundreds of images, which I then iteratively cull, crop, and digitally manipulate. In the final phase, I determine the scale and begin painting. Once an initial pass is complete, I make adjustments to the contours, value, color, and composition. Sometimes I add or remove elements. These changes are executed either directly in paint or by first photographing the painting and previewing them digitally.