"Across The Way"

($180.00.....6" x 6".....oils on gessobord flat panel....presented in custom frame))

"A good vantage point is often found across the way." The best quotes come to me in comparing art to life. In this quote, what is true when painting "en plein aire" is also true when pondering a decision in life. Having a good vantage point always comes into play.

This small palette knife painting was created at Bull Creek here in Austin. Because palette knife painting often has a build up of paint without a ton of detail, it is best viewed from a distance. So when standing back from the piece you can see several large boulders with a reflection in "greenish/gray" water and a sandy bar in the foreground. I did tilt the grays in this piece towards purple to be a direct complement to the yellow greens and grays in the piece. And that is where I am in my painting process today.

I am playing around with the color to achieve a scene that is identifiable with a lot of color interpretation. My ultimate goal is to go even more abstract, but that takes patience and time to master so I am still working on that long range goal.

After creating (3) smaller pieces from Bull Creek, I am anxious to use another photo from that area in conjunction with my smaller pieces as color references to create a larger work. One of the challenges to larger "wet into wet" techniques is that it really needs to be finished in one session. Even though the paint is oil and takes a long time to dry, it does begin setting up within 24 hours and is not as workable...especially with a palette knife.

At the moment, I am thinking about inching my way larger with a 10" x 10" or 9" x 12". It's all very exciting! I just need to work up the courage to jump into it and get it done. And isn't that the way most new processes work? So there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.