Why every piece starts without a sketch

There is no sketch waiting on the wall before a piece begins. I start with materials—gel, resin, and raw pigment—and let the first layers open a direction. The shape arrives gradually, as I watch what is happening on the surface and decide what it needs next.

That may sound like pure intuition, but it is also practical. A drawn line stays where I put it; resin does not behave like graphite. It moves and pools, and the surface can develop in ways a sketch cannot predict. If I try to force every mark to follow a plan, I spend my attention correcting the material instead of responding to it.

Working without a finished drawing does not mean working without intention. I bring the feeling I want the piece to hold, then make choices one layer at a time. Gel can build subtle layers, while resin brings glossy depth. Impasto and sculpted details can make a surface feel more physical than a flat image.

I keep looking, waiting, and responding. Sometimes a shape feels complete before I expected it to; sometimes another layer is needed. Leaving room for that decision is part of how each piece finds its own character.