Steve Hicks

Paintings are a dialogue for conversation. I just start talking. Although I begin each painting believing that I have no subject or roadmap, each painting slowly reveals one. I paint for that revelatory experience. I think of Miles Davis saying, “it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.” I make every decision as if it’s my final one while knowing it never will be. The painting must be the best it can be at each state – there is no planning ahead. This idea makes everything immediate and intense. There is inevitably time to respond to "mistakes" (intelligent accidents) and make changes. I love the fact that painting, like living, is plastic. I don’t always understand what I’m doing and even find it important to be slightly confused; like making sense of a puzzling dream. At some point the paintings seem like abstract narratives. They don’t TELL a story they ARE a story. I put down color, then a second one as if that could possibly complete the painting. Then I allow myself another try, and so forth. It's a simple process that evolves unexpectedly over time. I know it’s working when I am surprised by the result.