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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dreams

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

Postcard

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

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.

A Secret Garden

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

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.

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.

Gardens

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

Water and Palms

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

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.

Active Edges, Empty Center

It looks a little like some grisly murder scene.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Glow

I wonder if the soul glows when it finally leaves the body?

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.

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.

Hurricane Residue

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

Lizard

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

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.

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.

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.

Florida at Last

My first painting here in the Sunshine State. The light is lovely.