The Process
Painting
I view my painting as an exploration of beauty, composition, and luminous color. Most of my paintings contain still life imagery rendered realistically with more emphasis on composition and rich color than expressive marks. As I set up a still life I take into account the symbolic significance of the items and how they work together. I also paint portraits from photo references and I've done a few landscape paintings from both direct observation and photographs.
If I plan to build up many thin layers of paint with many details, I usually paint on a primed board or panel. I really like the way that many layers of translucent paint can create such rich colors as light shines through and is reflected off the white ground. The main drawback is that each layer must be dry before a new layer is painted on top so it takes a long time to complete a painting.
Drawing
I don't commit a lot of time to drawing finished pieces compared to time I spend with other mediums. I make sketches for most projects that I do, no matter what the medium. I usually start with small sketches to work out major compositional elements. As I get the big stuff filled in I increase the size of the sketches and add some smaller design elements and details. Once I have a sketch that I'm happy with I transfer it to the big paper if it is to become a finished piece. I usually do this by hand with careful attention to negative shapes but sometimes I use the grid method if I need precision.
I start with larger elements and then use finer charcoal, graphite, or pencils as I get into more detailed areas. As I work on larger pieces I try to get up and view the work from a few steps back. This allows me to see the whole composition and make adjustments to proportions, shapes or values. After I feel that a piece is pretty close to finished I might let it sit for a couple days and not even look at it. Then when I see it again I have a fresh look at it and the things that need to be changed jump out at me.