"Timeless" ($60.00)

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

"Timeless appeal is found in warm surroundings shrouded in quiet." In this crazy world of noise and confusion, I personally find it very comforting to have warm surroundings shrouded in quiet. It is not good to have constant audio input. It is better to balance out that part of life with quiet moments of reflections. Sunday is a very good day to do that.

The word "shrouded" conjures up all kinds of visuals in my mind so I decided to shroud my lettering in a translucent glaze created with Liquitex Pouring Medium and a very small bit of Liquitex Unbleached Titanium Acrylic. Of course, you may need to spray your lettering with Acrylic Spray Coating first if it is water soluble. The translucent mixture needs to be applied with a palette knife rather than a brush. It is very "gooey", but the self leveling nature of this mixture will even out if you lay it flat to dry. ( Do not dry with a hair dryer. It will get unsightly ripples in it.)

One of the more pleasing parts of this composition are the shapes. The main shape containing the lettering touches three sides of the design space. Also, the metallic areas also touch two sides of the design space with the top shape disappearing and reappearing behind the largest shape. There are also lines created in the first layer that show through adding more emphasis to the shapes. These kinds of details are extremely important when planning a composition. Just follow the rule of allowing shapes to touch two sides of the design space unless they are shapes within larger shapes. This will give your piece a good structure to build upon. Just something to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Interior of a Heart" (sold)

(sold)

"Light illuminates the interior of a room and the interior of a heart." Most of the quotes I create are proverbs. A proverb is a contrast between two ideas. What I particularly like are the words that have dual meanings. Light created by electricity can light up a room, but there is also the illumination that occurs when we get an insight or revelation about something. When that happens, the interior of a heart is also illuminated. Think about that when you see beautiful light fixtures and let it prompt you to also think of the other meaning. It will enrich your thinking.

The colors used in this piece are some of my favorite combinations. Even though the direct complement of green is not obviously present, by using an olive green (WN acrylic), the complement is present in the mixture. Another color used here that I often use instead of white is Titan Buff (Golden) because it gives a softer feel. The other two colors used were Raw Umber (Golden) and Carbon Black (Golden).

These colors were applied after writing a few words, drawing some lines, and randomly applying some gesso. I was able to achieve a look that reminds me of onyx. Of course, it did help to add Liquitex Pouring Medium to each of these colors separately before pouring onto very wet paper. By allowing some of the lines and words to show through, that translucent look magically took shape.

November is a time to think about rich colors since they are normally prevalent in the landscape. (Texas may be the exception this year!) But of course, you can always take your piece a step further by adding a few carefully chosen collage pieces. The contrast between super realism and an abstract background still fascinates me and I think you will find it rewarding as well. Just something to try or think about.

"Bright and Early" ($40.00)

($40.00)


"Bright and early reflections fuel the day." To some of you, this may sound like an oxymoron, especially if you're not an early riser. So after you've had your first cup of coffee, think about your day and what thoughts will help you navigate through your schedule in the best way.  It makes a huge difference.

The color studies I've been creating involve changing the surface to react differently to the paint and changing the properties of the paint to create different saturations and texture.

Gesso actually creates a resist if applied to the surface before the paint.  If it is applied randomly, you can create interesting shapes because the paint reacts differently on the unprimed areas. It creates a "veiled" effect if applied over color or imagery. Technique becomes very important at this stage depending on how much or little you want to reveal of the previous layer.

Changing the property of the paint is also exciting for the same reasons. You can choose how much light you want to have by how saturated or unsaturated the paint is. If it is diluted a lot with water you will get the equivalent of a stain. If you use a thick application of pigment or add a medium to the paint, you will block out the light. It's quite like adjusting the light source to spotlight or backlight an area.

All of these effects are great experiments to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.