Art by John Sanchez

I began this little painting some time ago. One sure thing about living in the sprawl of South Florida is that you spend a lot of time in vehicles. One has to either learn to love it or at least try to make the best of it. There is always music, podcasts or Audible.com. Inevitably you get moments that everything feels to come together. Here is a rainy night drive home after the studio, my iPhone genius has created a mix and I have to just settle in and be alright with how long the drive will take.

This is the first painting I have done that is finished with a palette knife. Over the years I have been wary of paintings done with a palette knife, too many have a sort of look that bothers me. I guess the context in which I have seen these kinds of works has something to do with it: they are usually boldly displayed in cheap frame shops. They tend to have a uniform finish as if no care was taken by the artist to follow the form depicted, any how, yuck! I have developed a speed over the years in beginning a painting, I think I followed the advise of an artist I briefly studied with around 2001 or 2002 at the Arts Students League Ms. Mary Beth McKenzie. She had me begin a painting over and over again. I think that the value I have gained in this practice was to really let go of any worries as it pertains to be too perfect. You gain a sort of bravery this way because you realize that paint goes on in layers, so that any seemingly "wrong" passage can be corrected with a