I began this painting from a daytime photo I had taken, but made a spur-of-the-moment decision to make it a night scene. I almost never change my mind like that in mid-process. Usually I have the image in mind and follow it through to completion without any major changes.
So this piece became its own metaphor for the way that ideas can waken beneath conscious awareness and start fluttering their wings in the dark. And by heeding these "nightbeats," I ended up with a more effective painting.