2023 started with no exhibitions on the books and me convalescing from open-heart surgery at home. I set up a temporary studio in my living room. I wasn’t too physically impaired, I just couldn’t manage to get out of bed by myself, but my brain either from the narcotics or the anesthesia exhibited massive brain fog. I just could not concentrate!

I tend to see limitations as challenges and not barriers. So, when I could not concentrate enough to work on a large painting, I started working on some very small paintings. I tried to distill everything I was doing in my large paintings into these small ones, some as small as 2 inches x 4 inches. I wanted them to be mesmerizing and full of detail close up and still have an impact from across the room. Throughout much of the year, these small paintings completely preoccupied me. For one thing, while they can take a disproportionate amount of time to produce for their size, it is still less time than a large painting. I can experiment and explore things more quickly – think of a Vespa motoring through the streets of Rome.