The Painted Current: Bearing witness through paint.

The Painted Current will continue to grow over time and stand as an observational timeline of leaders acting admirably in our current world. What makes someone a leader?

A Working Definition: Leader

For the Painted Current, a leader is:

Someone whose actions create orientation for others

— ethically, emotionally, or culturally —

in the present moment.

Not power.

Not visibility.

Orientation.

We are living through some fast and unpredictable times. This project is an attempt to slow that down.

Through small alla prima oil paintings, The Painted Current documents the people, voices, and quiet leaders who are shaping our era — not always the loudest or most powerful, but those who model what it means to be an inspiring human in real time.

Painting is an act of attention. Oil paint resists speed — it demands our presence in observance.

These works are not predictions or judgments. They are a record of presence — a way of saying this mattered, this person mattered, this moment mattered.

This is a living archive of now.

New works added regularly.

Thank you for witnessing it with me.

About Alla Prima Oil Painting: A high-stakes expression.

The Painted Current exercises the alla prima technique. Paintings are completed in one sitting.

Alla prima (wet-on-wet) oil painting is widely considered one of the more difficult techniques because it demands simultaneous focus on drawing, color, value, and form in a single session, requiring immense discipline, confidence, and instant decision-making without the safety net of drying layers, pushing artists to capture the essence quickly and integrate all elements at once. While some find it freeing, the pressure to get it right in one go, blending elements like sharp edges, proportions, and light in real-time, makes it a high-stakes challenge.