"Resting"

($100.00......8" x 10".....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Resting is never easy." If you've ever tried to rest when you have a lot of deadlines, you will understand this quote perfectly. It requires intentional effort to relax your mind long enough to allow for quiet meditation and prayer. It does help to jot down the things you need to do and assign a specific time and date to get them done. According to David Allen, (Getting Things Done)...our minds continue to go around in circles until we have a time slot for everything.

This piece falls in the category of gestural landscape. That's what I'm calling my contemporary landscape paintings. They all begin with horizontal bands of color. In this case, I have chosen a yellow and purple palette. The purple tones are very diluted with the complement and have varying values. The yellow, too, is diluted with a bit of purple. By using a limited palette, and the same colors to mix all of these color notes, you will have a very successful and harmonious color scheme. 

My purpose in wanting to rid myself of even more detail is to bring in gestural lines and marks. The lettering was written with a pencil the gestural lines. The beauty of this is that the gestural lines integrate very well with actual writing. I did do some deconstruction by writing the quote (with sharpened mechanical pencil) and then using a palette knife to go through parts of it to obscure the lettering. If you're careful about what you wish to obscure...it is possible to still read the quote without it looking too contrived.

I even followed my instinct to do a bit of finger painting in this one. (with latex gloves on, of course) A very fun way to spend a Saturday! And there you have it...just a few more things 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.

"Feelings" ($60.00)

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

"Feelings alone will not get you where you want to go." Most of us do things every day that we don't want to do. This is the pearl of truth on the path to wisdom. It involves choosing. In this piece, I chose the image of a sand dollar because of its spiritual symbolism. The four smaller holes are symbolic of the nails used to crucify Christ and the larger hole stands for the spear that pierced His side.

Symbolism is a part of creating artwork. Even when you may not be conscious of any symbolism, the thing that inspired the piece to begin with is symbolic.

The blue in this piece inspired me to make the connection between the seashore and the sand dollar. The vertical lines already in the background guided me in choosing where to place the sand dollar. The black circle in the opposite corner is also symbolic. Even the placement of the lettering was guided by a line created in the first layer. So everything in this piece is about lines and placement. By placing lines randomly in the first layer, you create a spontaneous way of assisting yourself in intuitive design thinking. Just something to think about.

Please contact me personally for inquiry about this piece.