Knife Mountain. Painting #56. A Spontaneous Knife-Only Painting Experiment

Knife Mountain is hardly what I’d call a proper painting—but I have to count it, because someone actually bought it! I had just finished Blue Hills and didn’t want to waste the leftover paint. I tried to convince my wife to take a stab at it, but she wasn’t feeling it. So I grabbed the palette knife and went for it. My first knife-only painting!

I painted it entirely with a knife—no brushes, no reference, no plan. Just a blank canvas and a some left over paint. I didn’t expect much from it, honestly. It felt more like an experiment than a finished piece. Even the sky and water was laboriously scrubbed in with the knife and no mediums.

Using only the knife forced me to think differently about texture. The strokes were bolder, the layers thicker, and the whole thing had a kind of raw energy I don’t usually get with brushes. There’s less control, sure—but more spontaneity. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I think what helped was being totally loose and not really caring.

Imagine my surprise when I posted it on Imgur and someone messaged me wanting to buy it. Sometimes it’s the ones you least expect that end up selling. I guess this just shows what happens when you loosen up. I should do that more often.

Compared to my usual process, this was a complete shift. I typically start with a reference, a plan, and a clear idea of where I’m going. This time, I just let it happen. And maybe that looseness is what gave it life.

What are your thoughts on this one? Pretty unique in its own way. Definitely a first for me. If you’re painting, give it a shot sometime. Let me know how it turned out. I’d love to hear from you either in the comments or connect with me on the socials.

If you’ve never tried painting without a plan—or using only a knife—I highly recommend it. You might surprise yourself. And someone else might love it enough to take it home.

Happy painting!