This painting marks the first time I used red as the dominant color in one of my portraits. The shift happened unexpectedly while I was working in the studio with my son nearby. Like many studio moments with kids around, the painting began to unravel a bit as he started drawing into it.
Instead of stopping him, I decided to follow what was happening and let the disruption become part of the work. The red grew out of that moment—an intuitive response that transformed the painting’s mood and direction. What began as a small interruption turned into a new visual language inside the piece.
In that sense, the painting holds a quiet collaboration. It captures a moment of fatherhood in the studio, where control gives way to curiosity and the work becomes something shared, imperfect, and alive.
