I’ve bet on my canvases before, though it’s a different kind of poker. When I hang a piece I feel like I’m rolling the dice—sometimes the audience takes the hand, sometimes they walk away. I don’t gamble everything, but I do let myself risk a painting that feels alive, hoping the hand shows its true value. It’s all part of reading the cards that my own work keeps playing.

A wild card, yeah, that’s the name that fits. I keep my canvases in the gutter, waiting for the crowd to flip the card. The real odds? They’re in that moment when someone looks up and sees the story in the brushstrokes. If it’s a flop, I just pick up a new card and play another hand. Keeps the game alive.