"State Of Mind"

(Experimental Piece.....6" x 12"....Water Soluble OIls on 300 lb HP)

"Resting is a quieter state of mind." This is a deeply felt quote by me because I often struggle with maintaining a state of rest and a quieter state of mind. The word "quieter" implies that there is a comparison being made. And there is indeed. The opposite of quiet is noisy and chaotic and not a good place to be.

This is classified in the category of my gestural landscape pieces. This was yet another warm up piece in preparation for larger oil paintings based on the landscape. It is in the landscape that infinite value ranges are visible to give an artist unlimited motivation to interpret realistically or with various degrees of abstraction.

My dilemma as far as process goes is having a block of time to finish a larger work alla prima. (wet-into-wet) I don't like splitting up the time since a skin will form on the paint overnight and with the technique of palette knife this does not work well.

Since yesterday, I have made a large palette (18" x 24") out of float glass attached to the same size heavy duty white foam core with white duck tape. The important part is keeping this palette very wet until the painting is finished. I will be storing it in a shallow storage container and another one for the actual painting. This will allow me to spread out the time it takes to finish a larger piece into (2) days. Both of these containers will have a sponge in them saturated with water. A large box can also serve the same purpose if the painting is really large and simply laid on the floor with a sponge in a dish underneath the box.

This is all about strategies and process. To quote myself....."Process is the breath of creativity." So it is very useful to sit down and think about the process of any type of art you might be creating. If the process is faulty, the results will be "iffy" at best. Changing a process involves looking at the areas where there is weakness. If color is the weak link, it is worthwhile to find out everything possible about color. It could also be technique or  materials.

I have yet to meet a successful artist who uses inferior materials. Cheap oil paints, watercolors, brushes, acrylics, and papers and other supports will not yield the same results. And that's exactly where I am in my process right now. I am examining every thing I use to make sure my results are the best they can be. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"A Gift"

($150.00....12" x 12" Experimental Piece....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb. HP ...Mounted on a 1.50" depth Clayboard)

"Every day is a gift." It's short, it's sweet, and it's true. Enjoy each day and count it a blessing!

This is another gestural landscape, but this one is based on a reference photo taken from the second story porch of our house. Since I have been painting these types of landscapes, I have been noticing the sky a lot...like every day and even pulling off of the road to take pictures. It is utterly amazing how quickly the sky changes and how it reminds us of the expansiveness of the universe.

It is also a very natural and obvious way of learning how to divide your space. You can have the sky taking up most of the space or flip it and have the land taking up the space. Either way and all the ways in between are good lessons in space division. 

There are other ways to divide your space that every artist should be familiar with...especially if you're working in mixed media. The cruciform is the most versatile. It is nothing more than dividing the space into four quadrants. It amounts to touching the edges vertically and horizontally and unequally. In other words, you could have the vertical division line to the far left or far right and the horizontal division either very low or very high. Playing around with this format will give you all kinds of possibilities.

Whenever you find yourself in a confused and unorganized design space, thinking in terms of a particular format will go a long way in helping you out of your confusion. So just think about it. You could paint four unequal quadrants a different color if working with a cruciform format or you could have unequal horizontal bands (as in a landscape.) These are just two exciting formats that will give you a lot of mileage. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"In Him"

($150.00....12" x 12"....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb. HP.....Mounted on a 1.50" depth Clayboard)

"In Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28...Amp.) This gestural landscape piece was created to potentially be a part of the upcoming Easter Exhibit at Hill Country Bible Church NW. 

Even though I have defined these types of pieces as "gestural landscapes", they really are based on color as the focal point rather than a particular landscape. It is a great way to practice with different color combinations and the techniques involved with the palette knife. After completing well over a hundred small oil paintings, I am still learning things about palette knife applications and have now added cement trowels and other larger knives to my collection.

For instance, a large plastic trowel is great for laying down the first color. In this painting that color happened to be a pale yellow. It worked better than my smaller palette knives so I now have a better and more efficient way of laying down that first color. 

If you've never tried horizontal bands of color, you might want to step your toe in the water on this one and use whatever medium you're presently using. It could easily be done with acrylics, pouring medium, watercolor, pastels, etc. It's a great exercise in helping understand how to mix colors using a limited palette and judging what surfaces work better. Today I worked on 300 lb. HP Watercolor Paper which is a great surface for oils and palette knives. 

Another advantage is having cropping options by working larger. That option goes away by working on a pre-stretched canvas. One other thing I did differently in this piece has to do with the lettering. It was inscribed into the paint with a Speedball C-5 nib and wiped off after every stroke. The lettering at the top was done with a palette knife, turned to create the thicks and thins of the strokes. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Notice"

(unavailable......6" x 12"......Oils on 300 lb. HP.....Mounted on a 2.00" depth Clayboad)

"Noticing the small things gives order to the larger things." Paying attention to the small details in a process or in the habits of daily living will always help facilitate the larger things of life.

Most of the things I've learned in art have been from observing or noticing the small things that were happening during the process. For instance, I've noticed that the pressure imposed on the palette knife while dragging the paint across the surface makes a big difference in the the outcome.

It might help to write these observations down by keeping an art journal. These notations will keep them alive for you because you will not remember what you observed or did (6) months from now. Writing down a process that has worked for you immediately after it happens will ensure that you can repeat it again.

I have kept art journals for several years and it is always interesting to go back and look at some of the examples and written instructions. It will often prompt a technique for a new piece. It is not necessary to start at square one every time you try to create a piece, but by carefully building on knowledge learned from the last piece, you will soon find yourself making significant progress. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

"Dreams"

($125.00.......6" x 12".....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb. HP....Mounted on a 2.00" depth Clayboard)

"Bring your dreams forward." The next question is... how do I do that? Set your goals higher, try new things, and remove the words of "naysayers" from your mind. Stay in your own lane and do what God has wired you to do.

It is pure impertinence to tell others what God's will for their life is. Frankly, it's between you and God. Counsel is good, but only if it's done with the utmost respect. And that's my little sermonette for the day.

In no other area of life does a person need firm resolve as much as they do if they're an artist. There are subliminal messages that we receive on a continuous basis that art needs to remain in the shadows of life and is something you do only as a hobby or when everything else is done. This is not true and all artists need to hear this on a regular basis.

And if you're creating your artwork in total isolation, the chances of you continuing on are very slim. The internal critic will eat you alive. So to bring your dreams forward also means to surround yourself with encouraging art friends who will help you progress. Just remember that if you don't do what you're wired to do, no one else will be able to fill that gap. Each of us has their own artistic fingerprint that no one else has. 

Keep that in mind when you feel like hanging it all up and moving on to something else. A true artist will never be satisfied until they are actually creating art. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Imagination"

($125.00....6" x 12"....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb HP.....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"My imagination is fully alive in the spiritual realm of the unknown." Removing all of the obstacles to living a full life is best accomplished by living in the spiritual realm where the Holy Spirit resides. (This piece is a possibility for an upcoming exhibit.)

This gestural landscape is part of a series of experimental pieces I have been creating to allow for a backdrop for gestural writing and mark making. By nature of the challenge, I must keep the imagery simple with minimal detail. Most of these pieces have been created from a mental reference of what constitutes a landscape rather than looking at a reference photo.

In spite of the abstract quality I am looking for, I am still taking lots of pictures of skies in all kinds of weather. Just filling my mind with these images absolutely informs placement, shapes, and color notes. It is also fun to depart completely from the colors that typically describe a skyscape.

After creating 103 oil paintings in recent months, I can verify that it is an excellent way to speed up the learning process, but I can also verify that there is much more to learn and think about in every part of the process. My next thought is to do one right after the other until my internal critic is dead and the paint just flows and "fussing" over the piece completely stops.

So my encouragement today is to set aside a few hours and simple sketch, paint, create a glass collage, etc. until the process becomes free flowing. Shut everything else out of your mind and simply do it. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Open My Eyes"

($125.00......6" x 12".....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb HP....Mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Open my eyes to see wonderful truths in your instructions." The text in this piece is from Psalm 119:18 (NLT) It is a potential piece for an upcoming exhibit.

Another "Gestural Landscape" without giving heed to the natural order or color of an actual landscape. The focal point is color. I am enjoying doing these because they create a wonderful backdrop for gestural writing and expressive mark making.

I purposefully try not to have straight bands of color, but allow the palette knife to do its work of creating an erratic edge. And from a distance, no one would suspect that there was lettering in the piece. Using techniques that actually integrate the lettering this well keeps the piece looking like an abstract oil painting. The lettering is an extra surprise for those who view the painting up close.

Some lettering artists still prefer lettering to be placed in the middle of the page of a white sheet of paper. I must admit that those types of pieces have their own personal charm, but to be competitive with other artists who are doing everything under the sun, not to mention the millions of images on the internet, it is important to combine disciplines to come up with other ways to visually communicate.

As for me, I like both approaches, but it is quite exhilarating to throw caution to the wind and let loose with some very free and expressive approaches. It's all part of the process. I have friends who paint very tightly and realistically and it's beautiful. I have other friends who are somewhere in the middle between realism and impressionism. So my encouragement is to try it all and notice the common denominators that keep pulling you in a specific direction. For me it is the "gestural mark" and the inclusion of lettering in every piece whether it's oils, mixed media, or glass. 

Once you decide what your common denominators are...you will have discovered your artistic voice. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"At Rest"

(unavailable.....6" x 12".....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb HP....Mounted on an Ampersand Clayboard)

"Being at rest is being fully alive!" So often we think that perpetual activity is being fully alive. However, most of the important decisions in life are made during a period of deep meditation and prayer to the One who can truly change things.

After yesterday, I dusted myself off and painted another Gestural Landscape painting. This time, I chose 300 lb. HP and I talked to myself as I was mixing the color. I told myself that I had one or two (at the most) passes with my palette knife across an area. That definitely keeps the work fresh. It reminds me of a watercolor teacher I once had who made us count the number of brush strokes in the same area. We could use no more than three. It seemed a bit confining, but it really did keep the work from becoming muddy. 

So it really does help to limit the time you spend on a particular piece and keep yourself from "fussing" over it by counting your strokes. Another designer friend of mine coined a phrase for this type of process...."think before you stink!". It doesn't sound very nice, but it really does pay big dividends to think about your colors (hue, value, and intensity) before committing to laying them down. And of course, when lettering or gestural marks are included, the first layer of color is extremely important and helps keep the viewer's interest and introduce a bit of line work.

Last, but not least, is the idea of messing up the paint with a bit of finger painting (with your gloves on) or running the palette knife through parts of the lettering to create a bit of deconstruction. These techniques add energy to the piece and break up the surface tension.  And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Visual Memory"

(unavailable....8" x 10"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Color is the visual memory maker of life." This is a totally abstract piece with color as the focal point. The quote is totally unreadable and isn't even there really. Some days I simply need to experiment. This was one of those days.

It is often said that we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. I heartily agree with that quote and today is a prime example. It is a totally experimental piece of work that I am calling "Gestural Landscapes". Some of them will succeed and others will not. And that is the nature of experimental work. 

So the point is...to act as though you are going to create a masterpiece by working on good surfaces with good materials just in case. One of the major things I learned about this piece is that my left side of the brain got involved too much. I was over thinking the process and consequently overworked the piece. Yesterday's piece was far more successful because I had a very hard deadline (mosaic class coming to my studio) and I could not "fuss" with the process.

This harkens back to all of my narrative about the value of timed work. Often, the imposition of a timed situation causes it to work out better. I absolutely think that is the case in this type of work. But alas, it is very difficult to break lifelong habits of "tweaking" a piece to death. I also remembered a very wise teacher who said that the hardest decision an artist makes is knowing when to stop.

And so it is with abstract pieces. They are called abstract because of the abbreviation of an image or no image at all. So if you are compelled to try this kind of work, my advice is to keep the bands of color simple with just enough laying down of the color with a brush or palette to cover up the surface and perhaps to blend with the edge of a previous color and then leave it alone. Overworking is the death knell of gestural and abstract pieces.

You might wonder if it is wiser to wipe the paint and begin again or to keep the piece as a reminder of what not to do. I definitely vote for keeping the piece in tact. One of the purposes of doing experimental work is to do a lot of it and then compare and contrast your work before selecting the one for exhibition. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Resting"

($100.00......8" x 10".....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Resting is never easy." If you've ever tried to rest when you have a lot of deadlines, you will understand this quote perfectly. It requires intentional effort to relax your mind long enough to allow for quiet meditation and prayer. It does help to jot down the things you need to do and assign a specific time and date to get them done. According to David Allen, (Getting Things Done)...our minds continue to go around in circles until we have a time slot for everything.

This piece falls in the category of gestural landscape. That's what I'm calling my contemporary landscape paintings. They all begin with horizontal bands of color. In this case, I have chosen a yellow and purple palette. The purple tones are very diluted with the complement and have varying values. The yellow, too, is diluted with a bit of purple. By using a limited palette, and the same colors to mix all of these color notes, you will have a very successful and harmonious color scheme. 

My purpose in wanting to rid myself of even more detail is to bring in gestural lines and marks. The lettering was written with a pencil the gestural lines. The beauty of this is that the gestural lines integrate very well with actual writing. I did do some deconstruction by writing the quote (with sharpened mechanical pencil) and then using a palette knife to go through parts of it to obscure the lettering. If you're careful about what you wish to obscure...it is possible to still read the quote without it looking too contrived.

I even followed my instinct to do a bit of finger painting in this one. (with latex gloves on, of course) A very fun way to spend a Saturday! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.