Black Iris

8 by 12 centimeters

Oil on paper

Some art teachers have too many rules. Don’t use black. Don’t use white. Don’t use too much paint. Don’t use a small brush. Don’t use a big brush. Clean your brushes and palette with this and not that. Don’t stand too close to your easel. Don’t stand too far away.

My feeling is that there are not many iron-clad rules, apart from don’t eat your paint. It’s a creative process. Some things work, some don’t. But if you follow someone else’s rules all the time, then it’s not really creative.

In this painting, I apply thick, black paint with a short brush and am mesmerized by my results.