" A Clear Mind" (sold)

(sold)

It is very frustrating and difficult to be in a "creative flow" when there is too much clutter in the work space and things are not where they're supposed to be. The organizational "gurus" in the world have figured out that if our desk or work space is cluttered, then so is our mind. That is precisely why the anitque drafting table in this piece has been cleared of everything. It was done to drive home the truth of this thought. Obviously, a desk or table needs minimal items on it, but when there is so much "stuff" you can't find anything, it's time to clear the surface which in turn will also clear your mind.

When creating this piece, I did not want too many elements cluttering the space. (pun intended!) So the only way to keep it from causing the viewer's eyes to glaze over was to position the table to create some diagonal lines. It also created a lot of interest in one of the corners. The diagonals in the legs of the table also created more interesting shapes.

Depth, especially in an abstract piece, is not only created by lines, but also by layering. The vertical band on the right began with ruling pen and burnt sienna lettering. It was too prominent so out came the diluted white gesso. I applied it with a sponge brush in thin layers until I achieved the right level of transparency. The pencil lettering was written on top of that, but it was still not right until I smudged some umber and burnt sienna over it with my fingers. So goes the process of layering. If I had not placed that vertical band in the piece, the directional lines of the table would have taken my eyes out of the piece entirely. Just something to think about when designing your piece.