"By the Way" is 30x40", acrylic on canvas.  Unlike my last few projects, the creative process for this painting was completely unplanned and instinctive.  When I mix liquid acrylics, I often end up with excess paint and it seems such a waste to just let it dry out.  A couple of months ago I grabbed a blank canvas and laid it to the side in my studio and every time I had surplus paint, I'd brush it out randomly on the canvas.  Folks would stop by my studio to see what I was working on and walk over to this and say but what's this?  We like this!  This piece developed on its own off in the perimeter of my thoughts while I focused on other things.  The result is loose, atmospheric, emotional... almost the opposite of the concurrent works.  When I was ready last week to tilt it upright on my easel, there was very little to do for it to feel complete and whole as a painting.  I blurred my eyes to focus (or unfocus) only on color, surface, and balance.  I do that often to check for broad-stroke compositional issues.  With a piece like this, it's hard to know when it's complete... but I do know when it feels right, when it feels good.  Happy Tuesday!