Milton Avery said, "Why speak when you can paint?"
Painting and drawing is my preferred method of communication. Oil painting and expressing myself through the art process is very natural for me. I find it therapeutic as well as a regular discipline. I am inspired by basic color, patterns and design in my day to day life. I travel into my imagination and memory. I consider the variety of people, turns of phrases, music genres, and color combinations that evoke an emotional response in me. Sometimes I enjoy plein air painting. I might feel a strong compulsion to remember the sense of place or essence of a character and try to capture the feeling on canvas. As I amass more contextual clues, I feel close to uncovering the mystery of abstraction or representation.
I have my own way of approaching a subject where color, composition, and innovation all play a part. I work alone in my studio. I often listen to music that has various tempos, changing textures and dynamics. Music redirects my train of thought and prompts me to keep working all over the canvas- to keep a sense of spontaneity and life. Sometimes I use a palette knife rather than a paintbrush. Painting more abstract works takes me down a different path. I lay down a block of color on the canvas as an underpainting. Then I add shapes of color, one next to the other in a rather organic fashion. As long as the color is pleasing to me then I leave it there. Other wise I scrape it off or cover it up. Many times when paintings are not working I sand them down and start over. I have painted over many canvasses that are sitting in my studio- deconstructing and reconstructing images. Sometimes after coming to an end through a way I’ve never travelled before I stand back. I am continually surprised.
"There are many accidents that are nothing but accidents- and forget it. But there are some that were brought about only because you are the person you are…you have the wherewithal, intelligence, and the energy to recognize it and do something with it." (Helen Frankenthaler)
Painting with as few large shapes as possible on the canvas interest me. Similar to large interlocking pieces of a puzzle. I look for simple abstract shapes in nature that hold my attention as an artist and spectator. I enjoy manipulating the special physicality of pastels and oil paint. Line and color draw me into a painting. A sense of tension, rhythm, repetition, and space appeal to me. I enjoy the works of Van Gogh, Cezanne and Matisse. My unspoken words are on the wall. Time to move on.
