Every painting begins long before the first brushstroke. It starts with a feeling — a quality of light caught at dusk, a memory of colour, or a quiet moment that refuses to leave me alone. In this post, I want to take you behind the scenes and share what it's really like to create an original oil painting from start to finish.
Finding the Idea
Inspiration for me is rarely a lightning bolt. It's more like a slow accumulation — sketches in my notebook, photographs taken on walks, swatches of colour that catch my eye. I keep a running collection of these fragments, and eventually a painting idea crystallises from them. Sometimes it's a specific scene; other times it's purely about mood or atmosphere.
From Sketch to Canvas
Before I touch the canvas, I work through the composition in my sketchbook or even digitally on my phone using a app. I'm thinking about balance, where the eye will travel, and how light and shadow will create depth. Once I'm happy with the bones of the piece, I transfer the composition to canvas and begin the underpainting — a monochromatic layer that establishes the tonal values and gives me a roadmap for everything that follows.
Building Up the Layers
Oil painting is a slow, layered process, and that's something I genuinely love about it. Each session adds depth and richness that simply can't be rushed. I work wet-on-wet in some areas for soft, blended transitions, and let other layers dry completely before adding detail on top. A single painting might take weeks — sometimes months — to reach completion.
Knowing When It's Finished
This is perhaps the hardest part. There's always something you could refine, another glaze you could add. But there's also a moment when the painting speaks for itself — when it has its own presence and energy. That's when I know it's done. I step back, live with it for a few days, and then it's ready to find its home.
If you'd like to see the finished works that come out of this process, you can browse my original artwork collection. Each piece carries the full weight of this journey — and I hope that comes through when you see it.
