Feelings and ideas have been coming quickly lately. This 48 x 24 canvas was the perfect format for using gel medium to adhere found pieces of dead palm trees that were exquisite, intricate weavings by Mother Nature onto the surface. I then painted around, over and through the three collaged organic pieces with thick strokes of earth colored paint and, at the end, added a few smaller strokes of metallic copper paint for added excitement.  I won’t sign this painting until a new owner decides which side should be up.  A well composed abstract should work in all four directions. Any suggestions on what to title this piece?

 This vertical abstract was not signed on the front because it can be hung in any direction. They say, (whomever “they” may be) that a good abstract should work in all directions, but be best in one.  I’ve posted this in the way I think it works best. It’s 48 x 24 and was completed in two hours. I then drove to the art store and bought a 20 x 20 canvas and completed the still life with apples during the same painting session.  The force was with me yesterday.

This is a large painting, 30 x 48, that I “finished” just this week. Every artist knows why the word “finished” is in quotes and for those of you who don’t, we artists always have a difficult time determining when we have reached our goal of expressing whatever emotion or experience inspired the piece in the first place. Paint goes onto canvas quickly at first, as we try to capture our vision. Soon we are deep into the “zone” of watching color, shapes, feeling the strokes of the brush, enjoying just the physical act of creating.

At some point, we step back and ask ourselves “Am I still going in the right direction? Have I reached the end of the road?Where do I need to go from here? Am I finished?”

And when all questions are answered, we sign. But are we REALLY finished? Some paintings are finished long before we stop working and some can be improved, even months or years later. So I suppose my paintings are truly finished when someone buys them and takes them out of reach of my brush.

  The image of this original painting is on my website in the acrylics gallery and listed for $3,500. Giclee prints are also available and would be $650.

For  new residents, and new friends we’ve already made at Signature Place where I share a residence with my partner Ed Flanagan, I opened my studio for a private party to let us all get to know each other better and make the brand new Signature residents feel immediately a part of this vibrant, interesting community of people from all backgrounds, professions, lifestyles and cultures. The studio was buzzing with great conversation accompanied by wine and hors d’ oeuvre.

I’ve posted a few of the photos from the evening. We had about 40 people in for a couple of  hours and it was a great evening.

The two day workshop at Artista Project sponsored by Central Art Supply Co. was, once again, a whirlwind of concepts, techniques and assignments that are designed to educate and stimulate and be used later on in our own work. We assumed we wouldn’t be turning out a finished piece, but several artists came up with work ready to sign and sell.

In addition to being extremely talented, Carol Frye is a witty, personable teacher who makes learning fun.

This is one of the paintings I completed, but I’m not sure what further work is needed. I’ll let it get “cold” for a few days so I can see it more objectively and look for little changes that might possibly improve the balance of the composition. This is always the most difficult stage… not knowing whether or not you’re finished.

I began teaching an abstract acrylic class at Suntan Art Center in January and imaginations are being freed, new ideas are developing along with, hopefully, a new appreciation of abstract art.

The “Intrepid Nine” go boldly foward into the big, scary world of abstraction.

Students: Jean Hurst, Gail Falkingham, Ronn Johnson,Linda Italiano, Donna Heider, Mirella Smith, Terry Denson, Rita Gould and Pam Rubenstein.

The Critic

These are two of the paintings hanging at Eckerd College for the next three months.

Tropics #1

Girl with Black Dog

I’ll be hanging six large canvases in Lewis House at Eckerd College for their ASPEC show this month and following up with a presentation for members about the various paintings and their “story”.  Girl with Black Dog is one of the six and represents some of the more expressionistic works I’ve done in the past few years.

Old Harbor at Honfleur, Fance

I took a reference photo from the stern of the sailboat I lived on in Europe for two years and knew I would someday develop it into a painting.  This beautiful old town was the perfect subject for using the rice paper glued to canvas for an antique look and to add intensity and depth to the painting.

This painting is 36 x 40. I’ll do others from my Europe photo files because I think the technique works well for the look of old villages and landscapes.