Category Archives: Painting

Urban Interiors

In creating this painting, I did not set out with an idea in mind. Rather certain forms with vertical and horizontal lines and boundaries took shape, largely at the beginning. I believe these shapes come from memories I have of small urban spaces: narrow streets and alleys–perhaps from Cairo Egypt. The textures, colors, and imprecise forms suggest old structures that have faded or been worn down over time. But this is just my interpretation. It is very abstract and therefore open to the viewer’s own experience. What do you see?

Acrylic, 11 x 14 inches. The original goes for $140 plus postage and handling. For prints, check out my Fine Art America page

 

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Altered Vision 2

This image is a variation on the theme in Altered Vision. Again, the focus is on geometric shapes that suggest urban structures as well as more purely abstract forms. As in the first piece, there are many overlapping shapes and colors. Interestingly, this painting started out in a “different place” from its predecessor, but as I worked on both of them together, they converged, ending up with many similar characteristics and a unified look.

Interested in a print?

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Altered Vision

It has been a while since I have posted any images. For the past 3 months or so, I have been doing more sketching than normal, trying to go for at least a half an hour a day. But I have also been working on my abstract acrylic painting. In particular, I have been experimenting with layers and glazing to create more subtle effects. At the same time, I have been continuing my examination of partial geometric forms. It is always interesting to speculate about the origins of one’s interest in one subject matter or another–particularly when it is abstract.

I am sure that much of it can be traced directly to my interest in urban structures and landscapes, both here in the United States, but also in Middle East, particularly Egypt where I live for two years and was quite taken by the urban forms in Cairo. But I think there may be another source. Earlier today I was resting quietly with my eyes closed and I noticed that I was “seeing” vague geometric forms, surprisingly close to the images I have been sketching and painting for some time.

Where those images come from that one “sees” on the inside of one’s eyelids is an interesting mystery. I suppose that perhaps they come directly from one’s subconscious and perhaps they are constructed from the images one is frequently seeing or drawing. It seems to also raise a chicken and egg question: does one draw the images that appear in one’s subconscious or do those images come from one’s drawing? It’s a question perhaps best answered by a neurologist or psychologist, but for now, it’s a fascinating area of inquiry. I’m therefore calling this image “Altered Visions.”

Metal and canvas prints available in various sizes here.

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Context Uncertain

Colored ink applied with a flat piece of wood on mixed media paper with light grey and black washes. I think this is the sort of piece that can evoke very different responses from different people. For me, I like the contrasting values and colors, the negative spaces, the various effects caused by water, and the connections between one area and another. And the co-existence of both clear and degraded boundaries may tell us something about the world we live in.

Prints of different sizes available.

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Extract 6

Colored ink applied with a flat piece of wood on mixed media paper. With this piece, I have started using a wider piece of wood that makes broader strokes. I hope this will allow me to move toward larger art, although this one is still fairly small at around 5×7 inches. In addition to the size of the strokes, I have used mixtures of ink to create blended color effects. These, as with some of the other effects on the piece, are partly unplanned. By adding inks together, I create the conditions for a blend. But how the instrument picks up the colors and consequently lays them on the paper is something that more or less just happens.

See in on Fine Art America

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Cityscape 1

I have been working to evoke elements of a city, focusing on rectangular forms, bright colors, and something of a three dimensional presentation.
Acrylic applied with a palette knife.

Fine art prints at this page

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