Friday, September 30, 2011

Reflection


This may or may not be so depending on how you look at it. There is foliage there on the right, and maybe a reflection to the left down below that grouping.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

No Photos


Did I mention that I am not using any photo references in my work. I wanted to break all my old habits (I used to draw from photos a lot) and try new ways, more immediate ways of creating images working from life, memory and following the process.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Two Plants


This seemed botanical to me. Two plants growing in the same place from the same soil but very different in every way. They are turned away from each other.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dissolution


The bonds of the body are broken and the spirit floats free. Charlie Provost died this morning. I will really miss him. This piece is dedicated to him.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Close and Distant


It works well sometimes to skip the middle ground and contrast large close-up objects with a distant space. Even though this image seems quite abstract, the distant space at the top right of the image helps retain the landscape feel.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Dreams


This is a really dreamlike fantasy image, and I used a lot of pure intense color directly applied.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Postcard


I think I have inadvertently produced a postcard, including sunset.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Esalen Gardens Continue


This is the last of the Esalen paintings. I will be mentally back in Florida after this. I cannibalized my sketches from my visit to Esalen earlier this summer to produce these garden images.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

A Secret Garden


After I finished this, I saw it as one garden leading into another more private place, secret and hidden.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Buddha in the Garden


In Esalen, there is a wonderful Buddha near the center of an expansive well cared for garden. It presides over the space. Visitors leave offerings there.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mycelium?


Hopefully when people look at this one they won't automatically see a mushroom, but rather strong color and shape. Form should always be equal to subject matter. The way a thing is done, is more important than what it is.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Gardens


The pieces in this image come from drawings I did at Esalen. The colors in California are very different than Florida color.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Water and Palms


Suddenly the landscape is starting to appear back into my work. I am relieved. Following the process requires trust.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Random Marks


Just marking on paper can be very satisfying. You don't have to have a reason or an idea to start making marks.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Ink Blots

Never underestimate the power of an ink blot. Outsider artists have used them for years. It was once said that Dylan could focus his music and stage presence into a single breath in the moment. It gave him a shaman like quality. I would like to do that with an ink blot.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sunset Over the River

My work seems to be wildly random, and the river as subject makes an appearance here in a very abstract form. I expect eventually there will be consistency. That is what we all hope for, but now its good at the start to have as broad and varied a range in all areas as possible.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Mixed Media


Mixed media means in my case a soup of different materials applied in layers. I usually start with a drawing, then paint, and build the sections of the piece from there using other more varied materials like ink, pen, chalk charcoal and collage.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Narrative

I've noticed that its hard for me to see images in purely formal terms. I like a good narrative, not necessarily a story, but an image that evokes a strong interior feeling. An image that sort of wakes you up because there is something undefinable there like an unsettling dream.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Dreams of Dr Seuss

Once in a while cartoon forms appear in my work. I think we all have different artistic parts and doing a project like this allows all those parts to be exposed and interrelate. Sometimes the combinations are startling. This has a sad and maybe ominous quality despite its bright color.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The West Seeps In


The distant space, the definite horizon line, it seems I haven't completely left the West. Even in Florida I can still feel its pull.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Born To Do A Certain Thing




That certain thing is a bulls eye, a rock thrown in the center of a pond. The circles vibrate out from it like a note.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Unconscious


I have always liked Klee's work and have been somewhat influenced by his seeming complete reliance on the unconscious. Magic can happen when we get ourselves out of the way of the process.


I wasn't sure which way this one should go. They kind of look nice together.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Hurricane Residue


All those limbs and branches I had to pick up from Hurricane Irene left their imprint in my work.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Lizard


Small paintings invite you up close. This is a lizard in my yard.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

No Rules


I've thought about a structure for my project, but every time I put a rule in place I break it. I am going to do the simplest thing. Just paint and edit the work later. Its important especially at the start to just do the work and not worry too much how it looks.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

None of These Have Names


All my pieces will be small, approximately 6"x 8". No need to name them. They are warmup exercises to get back in shape. It takes a while to relax into the work, and feel that it is second nature. Once that happens the brain is not really involved. It's the body that talks.

Friday, September 2, 2011

A Slow Start


I started my juice fast yesterday and so far it has not added anything to my creative life. just the reverse, I only really worked for 2 hours. Now I am painting for pleasure, playing as it were and lets see where that leads.

Thursday, September 1, 2011