distillations

I have been working on some paintings using acrylic. Before I begin, I usually tone the surface and/ or use a palette knife to smear on some textured gel medium. Once the surface is dry, I begin to put color on top of it. I am thinking about color, light, texture and paint. I am thinking about rock formations, the ocean, currents, the wind and sky. AND......I am trying NOT to think too much, but to just respond to what is already on the surface. One mark goes down, which inspires the next, and so on. While these paintings might not be recognizable as landscape, they are distillations many years of observation. They celebrate paint for its own sake and more directly express emotion purely by use of color.

left bank gallery in wellfleet

I recently delivered a new body of work to the Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet. What a gorgeous spot, right on the marsh. The gallery is filled with amazing original art, fine crafts and furnishings and jewelry. It's true, the cost of gas is through the roof, but go anyway!! Summer is short. Go to the beach, barbecue, ride bikes, garden, eat ice cream and BUY ART! :)

why abstraction??

WHY, one might reasonably ask, after many years of study and development, of honing the ability to make a two dimensional surface look like "something", in my case a landscape in three dimension.......WHY then would you wish to disregard that skill in favor of abstraction?? Paint, texture, color, on a two dimensional plane. There are several ways in which to answer this question. One is that when looking at the work of other painters, I found myself drawn to abstract work. The other is that after many years of exploring the landscape, I am needing something new to keep me challenged creatively. On some level, I have always used landscape as a vehicle for expressing emotion through color and light. With my abstract work, I am still using the same elements of composition, color, light, value, rhythm, texture. Just in a more direct way. And believe me,it is incredibly challenging. I'm not exactly sure where I am heading, but the journey is exciting. It is that unknown that pulls me forward.