"Rhythm and Spacing"

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

"Rhythm and spacing are keys to success." Everyone has their own particular rhythm and must figure out how to space their lives in such a way as to maximize that personal rhythm. Today, mine feels a bit syncopated...and I'm okay with that.

In order to progress and experience success in creating artwork, it is often necessary to shake up the rhythm and spacing in your work. For instance, I had an overwhelming urge this morning to take the palette knife and make one large gestural stroke across my carefully painted piece. I did resist that urge, but did swipe a few places because I don't like for anything to look too predictable and contrived. That experience helped me to realize that I need some time and space to follow those impulsive moments...preferably when I don't have a deadline of posting, even though it is a self imposed deadline.

I simply did not have time this morning to start over if everything "went to hell in a hand basket".

However, this is a very important point for every artist to consider. There must be enough time and space to create a different rhythm and follow those impulses. I also realized that it will serve me well to work on some larger pieces so I have a bit more room to be inventive and "crazy". So I guess my whole point is this, keep working on the basics, but also allow for spontaneity in order to break out of comfort zones and watching your work become more contrived by the day. It's a matter of rhythm and spacing! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Emotional Stimulator"

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

"The emotional stimulator in art is color." Chances are that the very first thing that catches your attention in a piece of artwork or any visual image is color. It is the emotional heart of design.

In this piece, I deliberately put myself on a time constraint in order not to "over think" every decision. This is becoming a trend in stepping up your progress. Of course, it is also beneficial to go slow and be very intentional, but if you mix up your practice time with both approaches, they will eventually even out into a smooth flowing revelation of your artistic voice. 

Just think about the number of reality shows that also employ this "timed effect" to challenge the participants. Programs like "Chopped" or "Design Star" both have the "timed" element in the mix. And what this does is force you to bypass your comfort zone and get out of the habit of over thinking the process. 

Even if you do not like the end result of a "timed" challenge, it will help you to spot your weak points immediately. You can then go back and work slowly to overcome your weakness and then try it again. Eventually it will get you where you want to go and you will have some very nice spontaneous elements in your work that would not have otherwise been there. So I encourage you to give it a try. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Evergreen Friends"

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

"Evergreen friends are faithful and true." The comparison of evergreens to friends seems like a wonderful comparison since these trees appear in the landscape in all of their "greenery" no matter the season. I am blessed to have friends like that who are always there no matter the circumstances.

In this piece, I pushed the envelope a bit by laying down a bright, intense blue over the surface first. The sky color was then painted over that color followed by expressive writing and marks which revealed the more intense blue. It is like stepping my "toe" into the water of extreme abstraction without really taking the plunge. 

Eventually, I will take the plunge, but I also want it to be convincing and therein lies the problem. Other artists who are doing this successfully, seem to be studying the works of very abstract "colorists" where color becomes the focal point.

Many of them are developing their concept based on an emotional response to the landscape which is experienced by painting "en plein aire", rather than simply laying in the color notes. The energy created by the expressive writing and marks is my own way of going in that direction and also maintaining a "nod" towards realism. 

It is an exciting approach and if you are so inclined, I would encourage you to do your own search of abstract colorists and other landscape painters who are doing a great job of this. The recent issue of Plein Air Magazine has several artists who are working in this way. Check it out to get fresh inspiration for your future works. 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.

"Reverie"

(sold)

"Reverie is a place to think or pray." The dictionary states that a "reverie" is a dreamy or musing state of mind. So I've used it in a different way here by referring to a place where "reverie" might take place. In either case, the word has significant meaning for me.  My childhood was marked by getting  in trouble a with my mother  for always being in a state of reverie.

If you look real close, your will see what appears to be a park or a clearing where one tree is more prominent ....almost in the middle of the piece. This was a difficult piece to create because of the enormous amount of detail. Of course, I could do what a lot of others do and simply make my shapes more simple and call it a day. I'm not there yet, but I am trying to get there.

In the meantime, I am gaining some very important practice in mixing up all of those colors. Practice is like looking through binoculars. At first, every thing is "blurry" and then as you begin to adjust the focus, things become crystal clear. Of course, in learning, it doesn't happen quite that fast, but I am noticing more things every time I paint. And that is precisely why it is so important to practice your techniques every single day.

I must sound like a broken record, but I spent too many years flying by the seat of my pants on mastering skills that would have progressed a hundred times faster if I had had the good sense enough to take it as seriously as a student taking a class for a grade. That's why I'm "sounding off" on process so much so that perhaps I could convince a few of you to quit "horsing around" and just do what you need to do to get where you want to go. 

There is not a teacher on the planet that can make that happen for anybody. It is a matter of will. But the reason most of us put things off is out of fear of failure. And the only way that fear will be conquered is to follow your passion and just get it done. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

"Branching Out"

($125.00.......6" x 6"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord.....floated on a linen mat in a custom frame)

"Branching out conquers fear." It is so true that many persons do not branch out and try new things because of fear. However, the secret is...that branching out will conquer fear.

It is very tempting when painting these oils to simply swipe across one larger area and lay down enough color for an entire branch of leaves. However, that eliminates the complexity that keeps the viewer engaged and also creates depth. So I go through the often painstaking process of slightly varying each stroke with a tint of my main color or graying it down with a premixed gray. One of my first colors to mix now is a light gray. It seems to not only lighten a color, but knock out some of the "chalkiness" that often results from just adding white. And it is these kind of subtle nuances that emerge when repeating this act of mixing with all of the slight variations over and over again. 

I was pleased with the yellow leaves in this piece because there is a wide range of slightly different tints, tones, and shades. I literally used every color on the palette to paint those leaves represented by small dabs of paint.

It also takes the life out of me because I have focused so intensely for at least (2) hours that I heave a big sigh, go photograph the piece, and then post it as I am doing now. It's exhausting and exhilarating....all in the same breath. But after all is said and done, I am always ready to do it again and again. And I hope you will try it as well because it is very gratifying and you learn everything you need to know about color if you make color corrections on the way. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Bigger Picture"

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

"Brokenness is part of a bigger picture." Visually, this quote is referring to the broken bits of color in the painting. In life, it is referring to the painful times that must come in order to have a richer, deeper life.

It takes quite a range of different color notes to create a successful painting. If all of the color notes are bright and joyful, there is no depth. The deep, less intense colors with a somber tone are also needed to create rich texture. 

This is a Split Complementary Color Scheme with the inclusion of a range of greens complemented by a range of oranges. There is also a range of purples that are not quite as noticeable, but they give the painting a lot of life. The trees, limbs, and rocks all have a dominant tint of "grayed" down purple. In fact, this tint was applied to the entire painting first so that I could use a sgraffito effect to carve out the trees, limbs, and quote. 

The one thing that gave me the passion to paint this piece was the division created by the trees, the position of the trees, and the diagonals created by the hillside, tree limbs, and also the paint strokes. It is so important to really connect with something in the plein air setting or the reference photo in order to put your total focus and heart into the creation.  In fact, it is wise to actually identify and name the particular thing that moves you emotionally in the image.  I never do my best work on an image or scene that I have a "ho hum" attitude towards. You probably won't either. So the big "take away" for today is to paint or create things you have a passion for. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Gesture"

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

"The landscape is a study in gesture." Our creator is the ultimate in making gestural marks. You can see it every time you look outside. This is especially true in an untouched landscape where things are growing wild. Amazing!

In this piece, I did make some progress with my greens. They can be very difficult, but Pthalo Blue (Red Shade) is the secret to getting not only the dark rich greens, but the brighter ones as well. This piece took me two and a half hours to paint because there are a multitude of colors to mix and lay down.

However, I am now feeling as though too many dabs of paint without being smudged can become monotonous, so I took my palette knife and slightly blended in many areas (but not all) to create a more varied texture. It also gives the eye a break from too much broken color. 

I also tried to make sure there were different shapes and sizes of color blocks and enough diagonals to keep the viewer's interest. It is a challenge, but ever so much fun. 

The quote is inscribed into the paint vertically on the right hand side which adds another element of texture and interest. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Merry Christmas"

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"Merry Christmas!" This is certainly not an original greeting, but it is a Christmas card from our house to your house. My prayer is that all of you will have a wonderful Christmas.

As the last month of the year begins, I am "waxing" philosophical again. This is my 630th posting and I can now look back with a lot of hindsight about how art gets created. I most certainly have run the gamut of different techniques, especially in mixed media and now in oils.

What I have learned is that art is very much like playing the piano. The student determines the pace of learning by choosing how much time to practice. It really is that simple. The more time that is devoted to a particular skill, the faster the progress.

But there is another component. Observations and analysis need to be made on a continual basis in order to keep from practicing the same mistakes over and over again. And much to my sorrow, that can often take a very long time. Because of this unfortunate truth, it is very important to create something in your studio everyday. Otherwise, it can take years to learn what you need to learn.

I can name at least two or three things I learn every time I create a new piece. You will too, and here is the critical part. It is good to jot those things down in a journal. You will not remember what you did six months from now if you don't...in my case, it could be forgotten by tomorrow. This one discipline will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over again and also help you to continue to do whatever is working.   I have a rule...if something doesn't work, I quit doing it.   And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Meditation"

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

"Meditation is a meeting with God." Busyness along with too many distractions can completely wipe out time alone with God. It takes an intentional act to put first things first and it is well worth the effort. 

Every creative act is very exciting when it's brand new. The problems begin to arise when it becomes the same old thing. My experience has been that when I begin to feel that way, it is time to "kick it up a notch" with a higher goal or a slight change in direction. We almost need to trick ourselves into getting to the studio with a fresh idea. 

This is not just true of artists, but every person who has a job or specific areas of responsibility will face this challenge. That is why the quote today means so much to me. It harkens back to a very familiar Bible verse..."Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all of these other things will be added unto you." We were all made to find our ultimate satisfaction in God, so by putting Him first, the other things we aspire to do will be accomplished. 

The practical things that I do when I come up against "mundaneness" is to do an analysis of my work. Line up your pieces and take a good hard look and make sure you are going in the right direction. Is your color palette pleasing to you? (Spend some time just mixing color with a limited palette.) Does your work look good from across the room? (Check values if it is not because that's is generally the number one culprit.) Does your work contain any diagonals? (They always add energy to the work.) Does your work contain enough interesting shapes or maybe too many? (Make sure your shapes are different sizes and unequally dividing your design space.) 

These are just a few questions that might cause you to go in a slightly different direction. Keeping things simple is also a good idea because design issues can get very complicated and off into the weeds if you begin with too many ideas. 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.

"Standing Alone"

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

"Standing alone sets you apart from the crowd." If you dare to do things differently or stand for something that runs counter to what everyone else is thinking, it may feel a bit awkward. However, there isn't a single biography of anyone who accomplished something that didn't dare to set themselves apart from the crowd.

My thoughts today actually "dovetail" into the quote and commentary from yesterday. This "standing alone" thing is particularly true of artists. And it all begins where your desires take you. God given desires help us know how we're "wired" and what direction to take. Paying close attention to what you gravitate to and then acting on that direction will definitely take you out of your comfort zone.

What happens next is very important because there will always be "nay sayers" who will question what on earth you're doing and why you're doing it in a particular way. But if the desire is nurtured and you actually have the guts to follow your heart, you will discover that many doors will open. 

For instance, if everyone who paints in oils mixed and laid down the paint in the same way, there would be no need to try to set yourself apart because everyone would be doing the same thing. A very wise instructor once said something..."if you want to learn how to do something, try it on your own for about six months and then go find a teacher." I will add something to that thought. You might not need a teacher if you have already figured it out in your own way.  Although instruction is often needed when beginning a new thing, teachers can often "muck" it up.  It is not good to simply copy another artist (or teacher's style), but to use what they show you to add to your own desire to go in a particular direction. 

Of course, whatever way you choose to go needs practice and many hours in your studio, but we will all benefit from your courage to step out into the unknown and simply see where your desires take you. I have been in a very philosophical mood lately so if this helps you....great.....and if not, my attention will soon turn back to process and especially "design". And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Special Day"

(unavailable)

"Special days are inscribed with love." Today's posting is lovingly dedicated to my dear friend on her wedding day. Sara, may you have a spectacular day and a joyous new beginning with the love of your life!

This was an interesting painting to do because it was already framed when it was painted. I had to do it that way in order to give it to Sara today.  So in case you ever find yourself in the same situation, here is how it was done. 

I went ahead and painted the sides and back of a 6" x 6" gessobord and floated it on a linen mat inside of a custom frame with E6000. The label on the back plus the wire hanger were installed as well. I then wrapped the bottom and top of a box with the wedding paper and made sure the painting would fit in there snugly by also placing tissue paper all around. All of this was done last night.

So this morning, the adhesive had dried and then I taped all around the painting area with masking tape, making sure to identify the top so as not to paint the thing upside down since the wire was already installed. It was an interesting experience, but Sara will be able to see her painting by simply lifting the lid and it can dry while it hangs on her wall. 

I now know it takes one month for these paintings to dry, but it's worth it to me to have the thick dimensionality of the paint. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. (I now must get ready to go to a wedding!)

"In Between"

(unavailable)

"In between is leaving something behind and moving to the new." The quote has everything to do with the fact that today is my 600th posting! And I really do feel as though I am moving very quickly in a new direction. Life is often like that for all of us.

While I was away, I did a lot of thinking about the things I typically gravitate to in art. And because I've seen so much art and also created a variety of things in different media...my conclusion was that my heart belongs to the "gesture". I often shied away from it because it can be very intimidating to do, but after this many postings, I am now inclined to throw caution to the wind and just do it.

The only reason I share these things is because I know (for a fact) that many of you are grappling with these same issues. You see something or you've created something that just makes you want to run to your studio everyday, but for many reasons, you simply don't think you can or you've stumbled over the next step to take. So I hope you will be encouraged by the fact that you really should just do it and get over yourself and what anyone else might think. 

For instance, I know that I still have a lot to learn about the palette knife, about gestural writing, about abstraction, but I had to tell my internal critic to go away in order to create a piece of art everyday. You will need to do the same thing. It all begins with jotting down some thoughts about what you really would like to create if there were no restrictions and see where you are by studying your own work. And then practice or find the person who can help you take the next step. That's my advice for today. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Nature Poem"

($125.00.....6" x 6"....oils on a gessobord....floated on a linen mat in a custom frame.)

"Turning leaves are a nature poem." This piece is another oil painting created in Boone, N.C. I tried to capture the color of the leaves as well as the fog that hung over the mountain in the background.

It doesn't matter whether or not a collage is being created or an oil painting with a palette...the principle remains that paintings are made up of shapes.   In this piece, the shapes have many soft edges due to the subtle shift of values. Of course, the tree trunks helped create the divisions of space and consequently the shapes.

Normally, I like to work larger and then crop the image, but in this case, I had to work with a predetermined size.  It them becomes necessary to think about all of the elements of the composition in advance. Taking photos will help with this kind of work so I have taken app. 1500 so far. 

Photography is a great practice in your design thinking. And cropping the image on the computer before painting will assist in getting the composition right, especially when the option of cropping for the final painting is not possible.  And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Seasonal Change"

($125.00....6" x 6"....Oils on Gessobord floated on a linen mat in a custom frame)

"Seasonal change reveals itself in color." This is an oil painting done with a palette knife in Boone, North Carolina. The seasonal change here is all aglow in oranges, yellows, reds, and greens. It is a stunning display of God's creation!

Even if you might feel intimidated by painting a landscape with a palette knife, it is a tool I highly recommend just to experiment with the many different kinds of texture. And even though this piece was created with oils, it could also have been done with acrylics. Just by adding some retarder to the paint, you can have quite an extended period of drying time.

One of the many reasons I am exploring techniques with the palette knife is to force myself not to put every leaf on the tree or include all of the other details that one would actually see on location. It also helps to stand back away from the painting to get an accurate view of how the painting is viewed from a distance.

The one other thing that is always important to me is the inclusion of my quote. It is really not very readable, but I wrote it with the point of a palette knife going up vertically on the right hand side. It creates an interesting texture. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.