Studio Journal Entry 009: The Story Behind Beneath The Surface

"The more time you spend with a painting, the more it begins to reveal."

Like many of my paintings, Beneath the Surface didn't have a title while I was creating it.

The name came afterward.

Sometimes a title simply feels right before you fully understand why.

This was one of those paintings.

Unlike some of my other pieces, I can't point to a specific memory or moment that inspired it.

Honestly...

I don't even know.

I started with color.

That's all.

Prussian blue has always been one of my favorite colors to paint with, and it's woven throughout this piece. At the time, I was still very early in my journey with impasto painting, experimenting with texture, movement, and trusting my palette knife a little more with every canvas.

I had just finished another painting when I immediately started this one.

I was completely immersed in the creative process.

Around this time, I'd also made a decision that quietly changed everything.

I was beginning to take the idea of becoming a professional artist seriously.

Looking back, I think that sense of possibility found its way into the painting.

Of course...

It wouldn't be one of my paintings without the fish causing a little trouble.

By now, they're practically recurring characters in my studio.

The fish challenged me.

The impasto challenged me.

And perhaps most of all...

I never felt entirely convinced the painting was finished.

One of my favorite details is easy to overlook.

On the left side of the canvas is a soft golden cloud.

It was the very last mark I made before putting my palette knife down.

I almost painted over it.

Instead, I left it.

Now I think it gives the painting just a little more mystery—as though there's another story waiting somewhere beyond what we can see.

When I stand in front of Beneath the Surface today, the first thing I feel is curiosity.

Sometimes I honestly wonder,

"What on earth was I thinking?"

And I mean that in the best possible way.

This painting reminds me that not every creative decision has to be fully understood in the moment.

Sometimes you discover the meaning later.

Sometimes the painting teaches you.

Sometimes...

The painting paints itself.

More than anything, Beneath the Surface reminds me to trust my judgment and not give up, even when I can't quite see where a painting is taking me.

The journey is part of the artwork.

If this painting could whisper one sentence, I think it would simply say,

"Take a closer look."

I like to think that's true for more than just paintings.

Until next time,

Thanks for spending a few minutes behind the easel with me.

One of my favorite things about abstract art is that no two people experience a painting the same way. If this piece reminds you of a place, a memory, or simply a feeling, then it's already begun a conversation—and I love that.

See you in the studio,

Lisa
LBW Creative Studio

——

One Last Thought Before I Clean My Brushes

"Some of the most interesting things in life aren't the first things we notice. They're the ones waiting patiently beneath the surface, until we're ready to see them."