Held Ground

Behind the Painting

Held Ground was painted shortly after The Long Now. I wanted to continue working with a muted palette, but instead of the horizontal movement of the earlier painting, I began exploring vertical movement. I chose sap green—one of my favorite colors—and as the painting developed, the green began to feel like ground: something rooted beneath the shifting layers above it.

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At the time, I was painting frequently and beginning to feel that I had found my own visual language, even as I continued to explore it. I felt increasingly confident experimenting with color, movement and technique without feeling that each experiment was taking me somewhere unrelated to the work I had already begun.

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Held Ground reflects that growing confidence. I was testing whether I could continue to change and experiment while still creating work that felt connected to the larger series—and to me. The painting became a kind of confirmation: I could explore without losing my footing.