"Peace and Simplicity"

($50.00.....6" x 6".....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Peace washes away the clutter of life with simplicity." Have you noticed that clutter and general chaos disturbs the spirit of peace? By tackling those troublesome areas of life with simplicity, we can all have peace in our environment which will contribute to peace in the spirit.

This is an entirely experimental work in preparation for a larger piece. It was inspired by a photo of the sky that I took yesterday. I happened to be driving at the time so I pulled over and whipped out my iphone. Obviously, it is not a realistic interpretation, but a lot less blending than I was seeing with my eyes. It was meant to be an abstract piece with all of the emphasis on design.

I began with orange as my first layer. It was quickly followed by white with a tint of the blue added. The dark blues were then added followed by the process of adding a bit here and there of all the colors until I was satisfied with the texture and directional lines. Notice that the striations of light gray in the top segment are at a slight diagonal. The tinted white in the middle also has a slightly diagonal tilt while the bottom is straight. Slight diagonals in bands of color will always add more energy to the piece. 

The center of interest is in the middle band of colors where you see the darkest gray and very bright orange as well as more texture with piles of paint added in that area rather than smooth blending. The word "simplicity" is also inscribed into the paint in that area with the quote following in the lower bands of gray. 

Because the lettering at the bottom seemed to look contrived, I deliberately raked by palette knife over a part of it (deconstruction) to break up the surface tension. All in all, I am pleased because it is abstract with lettering. And that has been my goal for a long time.

However, people who do not like total abstraction will need to check out my other work. Hopefully, I can strike a happy medium as I go along. This is what experimentation is all about. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Bushes and Weeds"

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

"Bushes and weeds add texture in the landscape." There are some areas where weeds are not welcome, but in the untamed landscape, they provide a lot of interesting texture. Analogies can also be made in life. No one wants to be in the "weeds", but sometimes that is where we learn the most.

This is an extremely simple composition , but the simplicity offers an opportunity to play around a bit with the palette knife and create some interesting texture...as in the foreground. I also used the freedom of creating a simple piece to play around more with the palette knife by varying the length and direction of each stroke.

Also notice that diagonals were created with the shadows in front of the background trees. So even if the piece does not have obvious diagonals, they can be created by the way the paint is laid down.

One of the reasons the fall landscape is so appealing is the variation in color.   The orange in the foreground weeds is a direct complement of the sky color and a split complement of green. It's not as strong a "power punch" as red and green, but it is actually a bit more soothing.

Corners are still very much on my mind, so I made sure the image was cropped so that the tree line was different in each upper outside corner. It makes for a more interesting shape than having the same height all the way across. If Christmas doesn't have you all in a "knot", you might want to get your paints out today! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Light Source"

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

"Shadows are cast based on the light source." Painters love to capture the light by taking advantage of the cast shadows early or late in the day. It adds so much dimension to the artwork. Think about the light source in spiritual terms and you will capture a deeper meaning in this analogy.

This piece was painted with two friends who are also captivated by the palette knife. We all painted from the same reference photo and all of our paintings were radically different. It was an illustration, once again, that every artist has their own "fingerprint" on the work. I pray that more artists can begin to let that truth sink way down deep. Without your "fingerprint" in the art world, something will forever be missing.

Notice in this piece how strong diagonals created a convincing image of trees on a hillside with cast shadows on the more isolated trees. This was a case where the palette knife really helped to create the illusion. Strong directional swipes with the knife with several different tones of the same hue can go a long way in making that illusion convincing. 

So once again, diagonals played a major role in the energy of the piece. I also used some values in the tallest trees closest to the sky that are very diluted with their complementary plus gray to create that "airy" look of more light showing through the limbs. And that is what is coming more into sharp focus for me by painting one piece right after another. Those slight variations in value are a key factor in making the piece more convincing. And even if you decide to paint more abstractly, noticing those "minute" differences will serve you well.

There's a lot to learn by painting the landscape with all of the atmospheric changes continually taking place. As it turns out, the Master Colorist created an environment that serves as a perfect classroom for that instruction. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Multiplicity"

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

"Multiplicity is the essence of extravagance." Just think about it. When you really want to do something special for someone, you do it by saying, doing, or giving more than once. It's not the principle of "one".... but "multiples".

What I've noticed about the things I choose to paint is that I like to stand back and look at a scene and then "zoom in". Today I "zoomed in" to capture a couple of pine tree branches. It gave me the opportunity to experiment with several techniques.

I created most of the pine branches with the "sgraffito" technique of scratching through the top layer of pine to retrieve the yellow / green of the first layer. The tree branches where created by painting the negative space around them rather than the positive space. 

The diagonals were a hugh deal to me and this piece has tons of them...hence the title of the piece. All of the pine needles create beautiful overlapping diagonals and that is probably why they are so visually appealing. Imagine icing a cake with about three different colors and covering up the previous color. That's what my palette knife paintings are like. I absolutely love the texture created by so much paint, but I will probably end up contrasting thinner layers with these thicker applications.

And that goes back to the point I have been making about the importance of creating a lot of work. It helps you to discover where your heart or your passion is taking you. For instance, one of my favorite pieces I've done to date, is the posting from December 3rd...."Look and Compare". I now know from all of the work I've done to date, that I like a lot of broken color. But I might not have figured that out if I had not created an oil painting every day for almost two months now. 

So you can see how daily creations can speed up your progress tremendously and give you such fabulous "feedback" on where and what you need to do next. It's really quite exciting! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Look and Compare"

(unavailable)

"Look and compare to move forward in life." Contrasting one thing with another is the way art gets created and the way wise living is achieved. Just by watching the disasters or successes of people's lives should show us which direction to go.

I decided to return to Texas today and paint a scene from Cow Creek Trail. It was created by painting a series of horizontal bands with variations and a few verticals. The diagonals are subtle, but they give life to the painting. And I am well aware that I've talked about diagonals day after day.

In observing what other artists create, the pieces that really "grab" me are the ones with a good number of diagonals. I think it's important enough to keep repeating until it sinks into all of our heads. Of course, if it is not done convincingly and sticks out like a sore thumb, that would completely defeat the purpose. So my encouragement is to look for those diagonals everywhere you go and in every thing you decide to paint.

The Texas landscape is a hugh learning curve mixing grays because we have a very neutral landscape most of the time. If you want warm grays...mix Ultramarine Blue + Cad. Yellow Light + Cad. Red Med. + White. If you want cooler grays...substitute Alizarin Crimson for Cad. Red. Med. I like to use both just to have a contrast between warm and cool. You will also see a lot of "grayed down" purple in those rocks.

And just in case you missed it...(because most water is blue), that is green water with reflections. I have so abstracted the scene that you might not be able to see it as clearly unless you look at it from a distance. But it looks remarkably convincing from across the room. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"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.

"A Textured Life"

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

"A textured life is always abundant." We all know people who do a lot and think deeply about things, but we may also know those who just float through the day. The life that is textured does meaningful things, gives to others, and thinks deeply about things. That's abundance.

I must say that the hill country landscape has a lot of muted color. It is great fun to try to make it interesting. I think I'm officially addicted to this whole thing! Mixing the colors is a great skill to have for anyone and even though I don't always hit it exactly right, the abstracted landscape is now my passion.

Yesterday, I did mention the importance of diagonals as a key ingredient to bringing energy to a painting. I did take a few liberties to achieve that in today's piece by slightly altering the division between the rock bluff and the ground. There are also a few boulders that were positioned on a diagonal. Tree limbs also help to achieve the same goal.

Try an experiment of looking at artwork and picking out your favorites. Are there any diagonals in the piece? As you begin to search for them in other artist's work, you will notice how it's done and what energy it brings to the work.

Thinking about placing a few of your brush strokes or palette knife strokes on a diagonal is also a good way to enliven the piece. I even switched my lettering to a Mitchell #6 nib and wrote gesturally with some of the strokes going at an angle which also seems to fit better with the piece than writing in script. So you will probably not see any more script in these works and that was my big "take away" from today's work. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"The Hill Country"

(unavailable)

"The poetry of the Texas hill country runs deep in my soul." At first I was a bit disappointed in the lack of color in the hill country after being in North Carolina. However, the more I looked and pondered the landscape around me, I knew this was my home and the poetry of it all grabbed me at the core of my being.

I can feel a shift beginning to happen and I expect that my landscapes will gradually become more and more abstract and I will also begin to put my "colorist" hat on again. One of the interesting things about the hill country is the enormous amount of "nondescript" detail around that appears to be a stockpile of "grays" in their various tints and shades. 

In this piece, I opted to delete all of the rocks and "scrubby" little plants that were peppering the hillside. What drew me to this place was the tree silhouetted against the sky on the side of the hill. It is my first effort with a palette knife in very familiar surroundings so I am pleased that it is "funky" looking and yet captures the scene in a way I wanted. 

The design element that become apparent right away was the presence of diagonals in the tilt of the orange tree and the other tree leaning towards and giving a nod to the orange tree. I carried the diagonals on through with the value changes in the foreground. 

My big "take away" from this piece is what I learned about diagonals. They are key to bringing energy to a landscape that would have been quite boring if all of the lines and shapes had been totally vertical or horizontal in their direction. So whether you're creating a totally abstract piece or giving a nod to realism, it is a good idea to pay attention to the dominant directional lines in the piece. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Memory Connections"

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

"Memory connections often come in the form of a structure." There are reasons why certain places and structures conjure up memories. They often remind us of special events or fond memories.

One of the most important things for me in landscape painting is looking for lines that are dynamic. Keeping in mind that all edges create lines, I gravitated to this particular viewpoint because the barn was sitting on a hill which created a diagonal as well as the roof line of the barn. And of course, trees are always compelling because the tree limbs have repeated line work going in all directions.

Another consideration is the possibility of becoming a colorist and taking expressive license to make the most use of powerful complementary colors. In this piece, I obviously have used a wide range of greens which have red mixed into them, but I also used a dark, "grayed down" red in the barn to create a dynamic with all of those greens. There were also some trees turning yellow in the background so I used a light and "grayed down" purple in the barn to create another complementary dynamic.

It is important to be able to mix up the colors that are seen in the landscape, but the most expressive landscapes are created when the "colorist" side of the artist comes into play. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Energy and Power"

($40.00......6" x 6".....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Deadlines create focused energy and power." Deadlines are generally viewed either positively or negatively. In my own personal experience, I've discovered that deadlines are a change agent that force me to work with focus and power.

This piece is permeated with energy and power because of all the diagonals. The direction of the diagonals all seem to be directed at a central focus where the black is intersecting from three sides of the piece. This is the power of cropping. At first I didn't like this piece because it seemed a bit overwhelming. But when you consider the quote and look at the piece, it makes perfect sense.

If you have never tried working on smaller pieces like 6" x 6" or even smaller, I strongly recommend doing so, especially with pouring medium. It will give you many ideas for larger abstract works and simply transferring the same division of space to another medium altogether. I recently took a week long class in kiln formed glass primarily using glass powders and frit. It was amazing to me how many of the same textures and glass collages were so similar to what I was already doing in mixed media. We all want our work to look spontaneous and gestural in nature with lots of movement, but that will never happen unless there is a spontaneous working method.  Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Colorful Dreams"

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


"Colorful dreams are hidden in the folds of my mind." Everyone has dreams, visions, and goals of doing glorious things. I like to think of them in bold sweeping color with a never ending hope of becoming reality. It's a grand thought! Embrace it and have a glorious day.

This, of course, is another pouring medium piece. (You can reference other postings for details of how it is done from beginning to end.)  In this piece, there is no external manipulation of the paint whatsoever.

The piece was created on 140 lb. HP. (It is my experience that the hot press papers give the best results with this process.)  Before doing the pour, I made erratic and gestural marks on the paper with a pencil which can be seen in the upper left hand corner underneath the quote. As mentioned before, I have discovered that it is a good practice to coat the wet paper with white or a very pale color over the entire piece before pouring on the other colors. It creates a base for the color to move better. In this case, I used Metallic White. When the other colors were poured onto the paper, side by side, some of the base white mingled with the Pthalo Green to create a "backlit" effect. So you might want to give that a try.

And as a matter of review, you can notice that every corner is different...that some of the paper was left untouched by the bright colors...and that the cropping played up the diagonals. Don't be afraid when cropping to move your mat around at an odd angle to take advantage of every possible dynamic. It is also wise to place your piece while very wet and with the base color applied on the wax paper in a shallow box where it will be left to dry. Pour the colors on the paper at this point and do nothing else until it dries. Don't move it or touch it. It will automatically move on its on and create phenomenal color. So there you have it. Just a few more things to try or think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Stability"

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


"Stability is the capacity to set your mind on that which is immovable and unchanging." This quote is an obvious reference to God. We all realize that life can sometimes feel like shifting sand beneath us, but there is a power higher than us who is immovable and unchanging. The white lettering is the Spanish translation of Philippians 1:6.

Creating a focal point in a piece can often seem like a difficult task especially in a piece with strong color in the first layer. To be honest, the first layer could have been the end of the piece and simply been categorized as a contemporary piece of artwork. However, most people desire to have a bit more complexity without going into visual overload.

By selecting an image with some intricate ironwork printed in black on transparent tissue paper (gampi), I immediately created a focal point. The transparency completely integrates it into the piece. This bit of collage also became the nucleus for the placement of the lettering with some of the tiny white lettering overlapping the image. And finally, the black letting is a nice stabilizing factor to all of the moving diagonal bands of color.

Just as a rule of thumb....the following things describe a focal point which should help in creating one. First of all, it is an area of the piece that contains more detail than any other area. It also contains the lightest light and darkest dark. Third, it contains the most vivid pure color compared to the surrounding areas. It can also contain more texture...whether simulated or real. Last, it contains more line work that leads the viewer's eye to the focal point.

These are only guidelines, but it really does help to think these things through when creating your masterpiece. Just a few more things to think about.


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"Lofty Goals"

($40.00.....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Lofty goals are attainable after letting go of past failures and negative mindsets." I have a brother who has a favorite phrase he uses when reminding himself to let something go....or reminding me! It's called "lig it"...and stands for let it go. Some things need to go and past failures and negative mindsets are two of them.

This cropped section from a pouring medium piece has an interesting selection of diagonals as though they're flowing off of the page. It is a visual metaphor of letting something go...hence the quote.

To quote myself..."Black and white plus one or two other colors works every time it's tried." I particularly like the raspberry color with turquoise. It's a softer version of the powerful red and green complementary colors. Throw in some yellow and you have another set of complementaries between the yellow and turquoise.

The only thing I wish I had done before doing the pouring medium is create my pencil lines and non verbal text. The spontaneity does not quite ring true when they're added after the fact. It goes back to the idea that if you want a spontaneous result you must use a spontaneous process. It is far better to make these erratic marks on a larger sheet, create the pouring medium and then crop the piece. It will look random and never contrived when following that process. Lesson learned. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Sunrise and Sunset"

($40.00....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Each day hands out a new beginning marked by a sunrise and sunset." Isn't it nice that we all have a fresh start each day? Yesterday has gone and tomorrow hasn't come, but today is a new beginning. Yea!

If you could actually see the original piece, you would notice that it really does look like a sunrise over a canyon or with a large bluff in the foreground. What I am doing with all my pieces now is responding to what is there and then writing an appropriate quote. It's very absorbing and requires deep thought. So naturally I must do it very early in the morning when I have a new beginning because I can't put two words together to make a complete sentence after 7:00 in the evening!

Take note of the diagonal bands of color moving across the space. It's those diagonals that give a piece lots of energy. Even when doing traditional painting, paying attention to the brush strokes and making use of diagonals will do wonders to create an energetic piece. Just one more thing to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Lines and Boundaries"

($40.00.....6" x 6" mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)

"Lines capture visual space much like boundaries protect our goals." No one likes to be excluded so it goes against the grain of most people to set a boundary that protects the time it takes to achieve a goal. It is difficult to negotiate, but boundaries are really the only way things get done. The person who cannot say "no" is the person perpetually frustrated trying to please the whole world.

Before the spring comes and leaves cover the trees once again, try to take note, sketch, or paint some tree limbs. It is a great way to study division of space created by multiple lines. Trees will give you the opportunity to see how they intersect, form diagonals, and even very straight lines. I've been doing a study of them for a long time with my camera, but I also plan to draw some as well. It will also give you practice in how branches jut off from the main branches and how the graduated effect of how they get smaller as they get further away from the trunk. It's quite fascinating.

Even though I have been writing more expressively and experimenting with some gestural forms, this piece was screaming out for one or two lines of script. When a piece has this many diagonals, I don't think it looks good to also introduce more diagonals and freely written letters. The piece needed a couple of straight lines.

I did use a lot of soft pastels and pencil lines to accentuate the image that was already there in the photo. It was a photo taken in Sedona, Az., with rock formations in the background. Not everything can be the focal point so it is very good to edit by choosing what to emphasize. Don't hesitate....but get your camera and get some shots of those trees before the spring. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Stone Carvings"

($40.00.....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Words are like stone carvings...very difficult to correct after they're chiseled or spoken." Words have tremendous power to build up or tear down. They should be carefully considered before speaking.

Diagonals are a very powerful use of line that create a lot of energy in a piece. Another dynamic was created by effective cropping which left unequal intersections with the edge, making every corner different. The camera can actually give the artist a ton of practice with cropping and I highly encourage the practice.

This particular image was rather weak in values until I strengthened it with soft pastels and charcoal powder. My next goal will be to paint it. So at some point, I will be posting it again in oils. But I must say that manipulating the photographic image with other media and techniques is a wonderful study and gives me a bit more time to experiment with the lettering.  Juggling two very different disciplines of image and lettering can require two life times of study, but I do enjoy trying. Carrying a small camera around in your purse or brief case with a zoom lens can be a very valuable tool. Anything that helps improve observation skills is good.  Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"The Art of Giving" (sold)

(sold)

"Thankfulness inspires the art of giving." With Thanksgiving just around the corner, my thoughts naturally go to being thankful for God's provision in my own life. Sharing and giving to others is the path to a happy life. It feels good to share.

There are several things that give a piece energy. Making erratic lines and very quick writing with pen or pencil is one way. Trying to add these kinds of things after the piece is cropped and you know the concept never produces the same spontaneity. One of the reasons is that this first layer of marks and words is then covered over and partially hidden by gesso and paint. But there is another part of this that can add another dynamic. By not making the erratic marks too straight, but introducing diagonals results in more energy. If you have trouble doing this spontaneously, then look out the window and make marks without looking at the paper.

Writing a word in gesso that is right out of the jar without diluting is another one. The word can be readable or unreadable, but writing it with a stylus very quickly while the gesso is wet will yield some very nice texture. After it dries and the paint is applied, it has a way of "pooling" into those inscribed areas quite nicely. Just something to try or think about.

"Evergreens" ($30.00)

(adjusted price....$30.00)

"Evergreens are faithful through every season of the year." Attributing a human quality to an inanimate object is a wonderful way to come in the back door and make a point. And the point here is that "faithfulness" is demonstrated in nature by the very fact that evergreens are always there whether it's snowing or hotter than blue blazes. This is exactly what I think about when recalling the people I know who are always faithful. They are there no matter what the circumstances of life happen to be.

Anytime an artist can divide the space with a diagonal and still communicate the message of the piece is a good day. Diagonal lines always add drama to a piece. This one, of course, is quite abstract, but the white diagonal easily gives the illusion of a ski slope surrounded by evergreens and mountains in the distance.

There are several techniques used here that give this seemingly "thrown together" piece its structure and depth. There are many things to notice beginning with the first layer. I did use a pointed pen and moon palace ink to create some erratic lines having no idea what would show up in the final after cropping from a larger sheet. That is the fun of creating with spontaneous techniques. I know I am repeating myself, but I have learned one very important lesson after several hundred days of posting. What I have learned is that it is next to impossible to achieve a spontaneous look with a non spontaneous technique. Erratic lines are even hard to do because it is so very easy to return incessantly to the obvious things we might have done in the last piece.

One way to come up with some spontaneous lines is to study the cracks in concrete. First of all, you must lay down your inhibitions about being characterized as a "crazy woman" when bystanders look at you taking pictures of the concrete sidewalk. Never the less, it is worth the derision and embarrassment to go home with your picture treasures of beautiful erratic fault lines.

And of course there is the gesso in the second layer and then the Liquitex Pouring Medium in the third layer. The only thing that was planned here was the color selection. When communicating a concept, it is important to be convincing and making evergreens purple in all of this abstraction would not have been convincing. Making art is a "dicey" proposition, but always exciting....so perhaps you might want to try hunting down some erratic lines or simply think about these things.



Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Between Friends" (sold)

(sold)

"Encouragement flows freely between the hearts of friends." A friend who always has an open ear for you is a true friend. That kind of friend will always be an encourager. I am personally thankful for all of the friends and family members who are the encouragers in my life. Who are the friends in your life? Together, we can be thankful!

Incorporating diagonals in a piece of art automatically brings on the drama. By manipulating the suspended paint in the pouring medium, the diagonal lines were made even more dramatic. Starting from the red at the bottom and moving upward, the direction of the lines in the marbling increased dramatically.

Playing around with technique and also "thinking" at the same time has many rewards. There is no book you can buy to learn every available technique with a given medium. Those "treasures" are stored up for the artist who experiments. I have now created almost 300 (6 x 6's) and one of the most valuable things I've learned is the many techniques that have emerged from the daily deadline of blogging. No book, workshop, conference, or exhibit has taught me more about process than being in my studio every single day. Within two weeks of this commitment, my internal negative voice began to shut down and all of the cumulative art experience of my life began to emerge.

My advice to anyone wanting to advance artistically at a fairly rapid pace is to embrace a process that gets you into your studio every single day. Sure, you will have days when things don't go as planned, but more often than not, you will surprise yourself with all the insights stored up in your head that you thought you forgot. I am passionate about this and my desire is to convey the confidence that can be yours through blogging or any other process that gets you to your studio daily.   Just something to think about.

" 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.