This painting was made specifically for Ocean in a Drop, the Substack publication by Boston Globe art critic Cate McQuaid. I worked on it early mornings and weekends, documenting the whole process—an unusually focused burst of painting with a deadline. It reflects both urgency and devotion: a rush of pink gestures builds over cool blue-green layers, with bright yellow peeking through like bursts of light.

The composition teeters between softness and velocity. Loops of floral pattern and sweeping strokes push the energy across the canvas, but never fully resolve. In a way, it’s about the act of striving itself—the unrelenting desire to create something that feels honest and alive. The title, “All I Ever Wanted,” is deliberately open-ended: the phrase can land as a confession, a celebration, or a lament, depending on the moment you bring to it.