quietude

 written piece that describes this body of work:
 

Quietude-peace and serenity after times of struggle

Oftentimes we think that life should go smoothly and bring pleasure. The truth is life is made up of layers of happiness and pain, success and failure, triumph and doubts, endings and beginnings. When we take time to simply observe, we know that the beauty we experience could not exist without these layers. The paintings here are a metaphor for that journey. It was not my intent to make that metaphor; it simply imposed itself on me. The concept of “Quietude” was chosen before the struggle.

How does one create that feeling of “quietude” in an image? First I spent a considerable amount of time painting outdoors, making color notes. Later in the studio I created small color harmony studies. My goal was not to record a place, rather to understand the concept through the landscape. In the studio, each large painting was painted and scraped, lovingly glazed and then scratched down with sandpaper. Each painting underwent constant change. I allowed the layers to remain translucent so they would affect and influence each other. This constant alteration was not an intentional process but rather the byproduct of my striving to make something better as I struggled with my dissatisfaction with a certain outcome. After all my planning, I must surrender some measure of control and pursue the unanticipated. The pursuit of quietude is a long road. I hope that these paintings resonate to your personal journey.

the demonstration, Saturday afternoon- I do like giving a demonstration, even though I am so nervous before it begins.

As promised, this is my show- Quietude. Even when I say that word it comes out of my mouth differently. Hmmmm. My vision for this show was to hang one large painting and have it accompanied by its plein air piece and color studies. In addition to that, a few walls have small memory and plein air paintings and one wall is full of tiny color studies.
I would like to thank all the people who attended the opening reception. It always wonderful to see so many supportive faces and meet many new folks. The show continues through May 5th. If you are in town and get a chance to stop by the gallery shoot me an email. If it is possible I will happily come by and meet you there.

make light: not white

pastel 8x9 (studio study)

underpainting for large oil 40x48

When I was teaching I noticed that sometimes my young students mistake light in a color to mean -more pale or a tint. But light must be made by color rather than just altering the color with more white. It may not be "exactly" what you see but instead it is a choice you make to create the feel of the light and the concept. Making value changes can get the painting to read space and distance, but making the light, takes color.

To me, the best way to learn to see and feel color is to paint the same landscape every day. It is then you notice the ways light works, her nuances.

And now for one of this week's plein air studies.

How many do I have of this view? Let me guess. The number must be at least around 200. I love the fact that learning is boundless and will happen each day I am there. 

love affair

40x50 oil on wood

I have a new love affair. They call her Cobalt Violet. She follows me everywhere. She is in my dreams and waking hours whispering, "Here I am, you know you want to be with me." Like a siren. She convinced me to feature her in my latest painting. I thought I could leave her in the tube. I tried, but her singing made me do it.
This one is called Quietude. It's the name of my next show that opens in April. My publicity work is due and all I can do is dance with CV.