Stories Without Narratives: Why My Art Is Open-Ended

Why I Do It

Open-ended art keeps me honest. It stops me from forcing meaning, from trying to make a painting say something it does not want to. Instead, I trust the process, let my subconscious lead, and let the work exist in its own space.

I like the unpredictability. I like stepping back and not fully understanding what is on the canvas.

The less I try to control it, the more alive it becomes.

When I Painted My Feelings

I remember a point in time when I was very consciously expressive. Whatever I was feeling in that exact moment, sad, depressed, angry, whatever it was, it went straight onto the canvas. Those paintings were so easy to decipher that anyone who really looked could tell what I was going through.

That way of painting came with a cost. It meant I held back from sharing. For years, I kept entire bodies of work hidden. I still have a storage full of paintings nobody has ever seen. And you are probably thinking, why not just post them? Some things are not for the world. Some paintings stay private.

They did their job in the moment. They held the emotion. They carried the weight. But they do not need to perform for an audience.

The Canvas as a Journal

When I poured all those raw emotions into a canvas, I felt exposed, like people could see me in a naked form. Outside of art I hold myself together very well , but those works stripped that away.

The canvas back then was like a journal with a lock. It was not meant for anyone else’s eyes.

What the Canvas Means Now

Now, the canvas means something different to me. It is no longer a locked journal. It is a drawing board, a space for exploration. Instead of holding secrets, it opens possibilities. Instead of being just about me, it invites others in.

That is the beauty of it. My work does not tell one story. It holds space for many.

The Bigger Picture

If you take a moment and really look at a piece of my work, you will find your own meaning. You will see something that belongs to you, not me. That is the part I love most. Your interpretation adds something new to what already exists on the canvas, and in that way, the art keeps growing.