"I am not painting what I see; I am painting what remains" - Jon Mulhern

I rarely begin a painting knowing exactly where it is going. I start with an idea, a feeling, a memory, or sometimes just a mark on the canvas. From there, the painting begins to tell me what it needs. I follow it, respond to it, and let it develop. I call this process “gut painting” because so much of it comes from instinct. It is about trusting yourself, embracing uncertainty, and allowing something unexpected to happen.
Most of my work comes from my connection to nature, memory, and place. I am not trying to paint a specific landscape or recreate a moment exactly as it was. I am more interested in what stays with us: the feeling of a place, the quality of light, a memory, a sense of wonder, or a moment that is difficult to explain.
My paintings are built slowly through layers of paint, movement, and discovery. They are influenced by everything I have experienced: traveling, walking through landscapes, studying art history, looking at maps, exploring different cultures, and spending time with the artists who have shaped how I see the world.
I have been lucky to have lived and worked in different places, from Baltimore to Brooklyn and now Sag Harbor. Each place has left something behind and found its way into the work.
The most meaningful part of painting is when someone connects with a piece in their own way. I do not want to tell people exactly what they should see. I want them to bring their own memories and experiences into the painting. The work becomes a meeting point between the artist and the viewer.
Every painting teaches me something. After all these years, I still walk into the studio not knowing exactly what will happen. That unknown is what keeps me coming back.

“Painting has never been simply a career for me; it is a calling. It is the place where I process experience, memory, and emotion, transforming what I feel into something visual.”

“I begin with the canvas and allow the work to reveal itself. Through instinct, uncertainty, and discovery, each mark becomes part of a conversation between myself, the material, and the unknown.”

“I am not interested in recording a place literally. I seek to capture what remains: the atmosphere, the memory, and the emotional energy of an experience.”

“The studio is where I find clarity and connection. I do not create images of places; I create environments where memory, emotion, and imagination can exist together.”

- Jon Mulhern