Blank 1864 - 1941

This blank page by Niels Larsen Stevns sits in the SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst. It's so exciting to see the potential for mark-making here, so much possibility. What would I do if I found this on my easel? The creamy off-white tone is a great base, so quiet, so calming, you could lay anything on top of it. It reminds me of the pages in my own sketchbooks before I get started. The rough deckled edges of the paper add a handmade, human element to what could be a flat and austere expanse. What would it have been like for Stevns to approach this blank page, knowing all that he could create? The pressure! I often feel like I'm in conversation with other painters when I start a new canvas; you want to honour them, but find your own voice too. We’re all in this ongoing exchange of ideas, inspiring each other’s creativity through marks, gestures, colours, and forms. I see uncertainty and ambiguity as powerful tools for self-expression.