Painting on a very small surface raises a set of special issues, including the need for greater precision in fine details, especially in depicting the interplay between light and shadow. Yet despite the special challenges, small paintings provide me respite from the pressure I sometimes load on myself when doing large paintings. A small painting requires just as much care and precision, but, because the physical context is so much smaller, errors are less concerning and fixes more easily made. And sometimes, beauty and meaning emerge from just a few brush strokes.