"A Foundation"

($40.00....6" x 6"....water soluble oils on gessobord)

"A rock in art or in life provides a foundation." Rocks have long been symbolic of stability and strength. They have a spiritual significance and that is often symbolized in the visual arts.

The palette knife is one of the most expressive tools I've had in my hands. After completing approximately (3) weeks of these paintings, I now have my favorites. One palette knife is never enough since there are many sizes and configurations. In this piece, I felt a bit "looser" and freely threw in some gestural marks in various places. Actually, each swipe of the knife feels like a gestural stroke and that pleases me very much. 

Two of the major points in pulling these paintings off is to make sure the dards are dark enough and lights are light enough. The other point is to work with a limited palette. Identify the colors in the reference photo or in plein air by identifying the root color by one of the (12) colors on the color wheel. I still slip up from time to time and call yellow-green....."green gold" (A golden acrylic color). The reason this is important is because the components in some of those color hues rather than the pure color can give you some unexpected results when mixing them.

Simply avoid that by learning how to work with either one set of primaries plus white or set up a double palette which includes a warm and cool  of each primary plus white. You can then "gray down" a color much easier and the entire painting will be more harmonious. It is sometimes hard to realize that all colors come from yellow, blue, and red. It's the percentage of each and the intensity that makes the difference. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.