"Behold the Lamb (2)"

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

"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." This is a second experimental piece with the same words. It is a possibility for an upcoming exhibit.

Back to oils today after two days of mixed media. This sky scape was inspired by a photo I took just two days ago in the late afternoon. I kept pulling off of the side of the road to take pictures and didn't think I was ever going to get home. That's why it is very important to have a pocket camera in your purse with a small zoom.  You never know when the sky will be exquisite.

The strategy for this painting was to paint the first layer over the entire sheet. It was white, lemon yellow, and a small bit of purple mixed from ult. blue and alizarin crimson, but mostly white. The grays and oranges were then mixed with several variations....some lighter and some darker. For most of this layer I blended it slightly with the previous layer. I then added some heavier and less blended layers in key places which gives the piece its texture. 

What I can now tell you after having done (5) of these sky scapes, is that they look deceptively simple to do. To capture the atmosphere with several layers of paint with a wet into wet technique is quite challenging, but I think the best preparation is to simply do bands of color in different sizes first. It's a great way to create an abstract piece and it provides a way to practice laying horizontal bands of color down without thinking about clouds and where the darks and lights are placed in a true sky scape.

Tomorrow, I plan to paint one that is totally abstract and doesn't really look like a sky at all. And if you like color and simply want to loosen up and have a great time, it's a fun thing to try. You can then call yourself a "colorist". In this case, the color becomes the focal point. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Observation"

($40.00......6" x 6"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Observation is the optimal skill." This is especially true of the artist. It requires continual practice to see the seemingly insignificant details. It should be a priority in every area of life.

Many liberties were taken in this piece, especially with the color choices. I did try to keep the values the same, but the colors were selected based on all that was happening on my palette. So many times, colors will emerge in the process of mixing that are so lovely and different that it seems like a waste not to use them.

A "colorist" plays with all of these dynamics and it is especially exciting to me to have a reference photo to keep the piece going in a particular direction, but also to have the freedom to play around with color in the process. So what I end up with is an abstracted landscape. There was also a lot of play with the directional strokes of the paint to make the most of the dimensionality of this thick "wet into wet" technique.

Another liberty I took was in the direction of the tree trunks and a few limbs. When a piece is naturally a horizontal landscape, it could end up lacking a lot of energy. Introducing diagonals in the trees and directional strokes of the paint resolved the problem for me. The quote was written with a Mitchell #6 nib in the foreground weeds. There are diagonals there as well. so all in all, I am pleased with the piece because it is not perfectly rendered and has a lot of gestural movement in the way the paint was applied. That is what I live for in these paintings. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Sparkling Life"

($60.00.....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Sparkling life moves parallel to darkness and gives birth to grace." Everyone has encountered periods of darkness in life. This is a quote and a visual showing the sparkling life called "grace" during those times.

The very heartbeat of abstraction is capturing the essence of an image or concept without showing all of the detail. Abstract means to summarize. Abstract Expressionism goes a step further and aims at a subjective emotional expression of an ideal rather than a picture of a physical object. It is nonrepresentational.

What I have been doing with my "moving color" pieces is to land somewhere between being a colorist and having a line engraving or graphic element to ground the piece and tone down the power of all that moving color. A very good way to learn how to use color is to pretend you are a "colorist" and design pieces using color with absolutely nothing else added.

The act of doing this will eliminate all of the other design decisions that could come into play and help you focus on color shapes, color percentages, and different techniques of applying the color. Besides pouring medium, some very nice effects can be achieved by layering with thin glazes of color...using a brayer, palette knife, or adding mediums to the paint to create textured color. And if any of you will be involved with the upcoming exhibit..."Visual Rhapsody", this would be a good time to do a piece consisting only of color. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"The Human Spirit" (unavailable)

(unavailable)

"The fires destroyed everything except for the hope of the human spirit." Churches and individuals in Texas are now involved in coming along side the families who lost their homes. What I have noticed is that hope is rising out of the ashes.

This piece and particular quote gave me the opportunity to visually express the power of contrasts in color saturation and texture. The dark green band on the left is very saturated representing the trees and foliage before the fires. The center band of color with a grayish / green and texture created with gesso looks charred. The bright and intense band on the right represents the hope of the human spirit.

By knowing how to "gray" down a color or to apply an intense stain on unprimed paper is a part of being a "colorist". Color is the most emotional design element and a never ending learning process. I hope you're enjoying these color studies. Go one step further and try them yourself. Any effort to understand color takes you one step closer to a satisfying way of expressing your concept. Just something to think about.

"Seeds of Thought" ($60.00)

(adjusted price...$60.00...mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)


"Seeds of thought grow in silence." If you've ever tried to focus on two thoughts at the same time, this quote will make sense to you. It's impossible and yet we try to do it everyday with all of the electronic media at our fingertips. That's why in most of our life experiences, silence is a "hot commodity". Creative thinking and prayer are just two of the things that require silence. I vote for silence.

Ramping up the color is the path I am on..at least for now. There are several ways to do this. Choosing to use bright and intense color combinations is one way. The path I am experimenting with is showing a contrast between diluted and saturated color. A more saturated color appearance can be achieved with acrylics by adding a medium to the paint as well as using more paint. The medium suspends the color equally and gives a good coverage.

In this piece I used Liquitex Pouring Medium on the top portion. Mix a ratio of approximately (1) part paint to (4) parts or more of Pouring Medium...with a palette knife. This mixture can be applied with a palette knife or poured from a bottle. It is self leveling and has a "slow motion" blending quality with any adjacent color or color dropped into the mixture.

My favorite "colorist" is Rebecca Bennett. She works exclusively in oils and has a beautiful website. We are fortunate to have several pieces of her work in the upcoming exhibit at "Open Doors" Gallery at Hill Country Bible Church NW here in Austin. The Opening Reception is Friday, September 30th. Further details can be viewed at our website (www.http://pactofaustin.com) Forty artists working in all types of media will also be included. I will personally have a kiln formed glass piece with lettering. It is free and open to the general public. Invite your friends and enjoy a fabulous evening of art, music, and refreshments.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Inertia" ($30.00)

(adjusted price.....$30.00)


"Inertia dissipates with action." Inertia is not a word most of us use everyday, but we feel its effects everyday. To be inert is to be without power of action, motion, or resistance. It is a passive state. The best way to overcome inertia is to decide and take action even when the feelings to do so are not present. It is the essence of discipline.

Those of you who have been following along each day have noticed my obsession with gesso. I now have a desire to marry the light and veiled effects of gesso with intense color contrasts. A "colorist" is an artist whose primary focus is color. The actual color fields in the painting become the center of interest.

In this piece today, I am showing an extreme contrast between the stained and veiled effects of gesso and the dense, dark, concentrated color. The first layer was gesso and very dilute acrylics. The second layer is Prussian Blue plus a Liquitex "Pouring Medium" which increases the flow of the paint. (It has the texture of Elmer's Glue.) I applied it with a palette knife. My desire was to have some of the previous layer showing through in a random way so I held the piece up and over a plastic disposable plate and poured rubbing alcohol over this area until portions of the previous layer peered through. Look for more of these color pieces in days to come. It also gives me opportunity to include more expressive and gestural writing. Just something to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.