There are paintings that obey the artist. And there are paintings that gradually begin to live a life of their own. Black Bouquet began with two black flowers. I tried to make them smaller, calmer, leaving more air and light around them. But with each new layer, they seemed to choose their own form — growing, taking up more space, and transforming the entire canvas. At some point, I stopped trying to control them. That was when I understood the work was complete. Highly textured, the painting appears calm from a distance, while up close its layers of acrylic, palette-knife marks, fine lines, and deep blacks reveal a different energy.