Themes of water and powerful currents are recurrent in my recent, unplanned paintings. Here I see a structure, a focal point overwhelmed by floodwaters. It is holding its ground for now but it’s uncertain how long that can last. The structure has integrity and a sense of place but there is no way to know if it will stay or be swept away. In a sense that’s insignificant as the emphasis is on the energy and movement of water – that is the focus of the painting.
This is another small, spontaneous painting. It has been in my studio for a few weeks and has many layers of paint. It’s called “Deep Geology” because it reminds me of layers of earth. Its color also reminds me of the lightness of robin eggs so there is some contrast of ideas.
Here is result of another unplanned, creative process that I like to work with. When I am cleaning my pallet, I scrape off the paint with a pallet knife and spread it on a canvas. I often have several canvases on the go in my studio and and just keep working on them like that until I see a direction I want to move in. Then I start squeezing out the paint. This particular painting is has been developing for about a month and I finally finished it last night. (I think it’s finished, but I may still see changes that I want to make.)
I worked on the Rooftop Dancers all morning instead of going to life drawing. It is feeling like a slow process. There are so many elements that I am bringing together: the faces, hands, position, the buildings and the light. It was a good morning. I worked steadily and like the changes I made but at lunch, I realized how much more work is required. Sometimes it feels like it is taking too long, but I am also happy to keep working away.
