Third in a series, this painting was done with a brush, whereas I mainly used a palette knife for the previous two (here and here) as well as “Urban Interiors.” The result is that the way the shapes and colors combine is very different in this painting. In the palette knife pieces, the colors and shapes are blended together by the scraping action of the knife. In this painting, the shapes and colors are glazed and layered over one another so that shapes and colors underneath can be seen very easily. Acrylic on canvas; 11 x 14 inches.
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.
Ink and watercolor on scuffed and scored gesso. The aim of this image was to create something of a third dimension to the colors and ink and how they interact on the surface.
In my mind, this piece expresses a sense of ideas or forms in conflict and dialogue with each other. It was created by laying down watercolors on an uneven gesso surface in multiple layers.
The title of this image suggests a form embedded in stone or some other material and unable to reach the surface. I created this piece, first laying down a layer of gesso that I put grooves and lines in. Once that was dry, I brushed in watercolor washes and then black strokes with a flat piece of flexible wood.
I believe this ink painting evokes something about the way of things in this world. On the one hand, there are recognizable geometric shapes, lines, and arcs. On the other hand, those elements run into each other, fade in some places, and are partly washed away by drips and runs. Recognizable forms are eroded. Different people will, of course, interpret this piece differently and some may find no meaning in it at all. My own feeling is that it conveys imperfection, change, and decay, but taken together there is some balance and all of these elements together can be quite dramatic.
After laying down some obtuse white lines with strips of tape to keep out paint and ink, I started adding acrylic washes of various colors. By using relatively dilute paint, I allowed colors to blend in with each other in some places. As in many abstract paintings, this one was started with a basic idea but then took on a life of its own as I tried to let my intuition guide me. I like to let this happen, while also keeping basic compositional principles such as spacing, points of focus, and value contrasts in mind.
This is a layered image, with diluted acrylic washes at the lowest level, then some blue and red strokes, followed by the black, which was much thicker than the other pigments. This piece borrows from the evocative shapes of Asian ink traditions, but is not a Japanese or Chinese character.
In this work, I was focused on creating a sense of colors merging into and flowing around each other. I think the net result also evokes a tangle of nerve fibers.
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