R+N=2, along with its companion piece N+R=2, was inspired by the enormous flower bouquets at my hair salon. I began with the colors of the flowers, vase, and wallpaper, but instead of recreating the bouquets, I let them become something much simpler: a single oversized bloom.
These two paintings taught me something about my own process. I became focused on trying to make them look like something rather than responding to what I felt as I worked. The more I concentrated on the result, the further I moved away from the intuitive way I naturally create.
Today, both paintings hang together in the salon that inspired them—a reminder that my best work happens when I stop trying to control where it is going.