Category Archives: ink

Does the Problem Solve Itself?

This is one of a series of ink paintings I am posting. This one is a bit more angular or geometric than some of the others. Still, there are places where lines and shapes fade. There is the sense that it poses some sort of geometric relationship or problem.

In naming these ink pieces, I spend some quiet time with them to see what ideas or feelings they evoke and then try to find the appropriate words. This is an activity that anyone could go through engaging with this work and so the title I have chosen is my title. You are invited to choose your own.

Talking about the series of ink paintings I am currently working on and sharing, these works show the interplay between paper, ink, and water. I love how straight lines and geometric forms dissolve into more undefined shapes. When I do ink works like this one, I might start with a general idea about what I’m after, but once the process starts, there usually is very little control. As the three elements (ink, paper, water) interact, I find that each mark has to respond to what is playing out before me on the paper. I seek to create interesting contrasts and compositions. That works best when I trust my intuition and let go of any sense of control. In some ways, each painting paints itself.

This painting is 9 x 12 inches on 110 lb. mixed media paper. I ship in a sturdy cardboard tube so you can choose the frame itself, but if you would like me to frame it, let me know and I will try to work it out with you.

Available here for $50.

Does the Problem Solve Itself?

 

Shadows and Portents

This painting is the first in a series of ink works I have done recently and will be posting in coming days and weeks. These works will all show the interplay between the paper, ink, and water. I love how straight lines and geometric forms dissolve into more undefined shapes. When I do ink works like this one, I might start with a general idea about what I’m after, but once the process starts, there usually is very little control. As the three elements (ink, paper, water) interact, I find that each mark has to respond to what is playing out before me on the paper. I seek to create interesting contrasts and compositions, but the process works best when I trust my intuition and let go of any sense of control. In some ways, the painting paints itself.

Available at Etsy.

Memories of the Future

One-of-a kind, signed abstract painting created with a flat instrument to apply ink on 136 pound canva paper. The final look is the result of intentional strokes on a dynamic surface where colors run and blend with each other and water already applied. The creative process is very intuitive as the blending of inks and water often takes its own direction. The title expresses a sense of creation and possibility along with uncertainty.

9 x 12 inches on 136 pound canva paper, which is very canvas-like in texture and stiffness. It is unframed. There is no proper “up,” but I have chosen what I find most pleasing to present here. You may find you prefer it a different way and that is great.

Prints available at FAA; original at Etsy.

Memories of the Future

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

Extract 6

Extract 5

Ink applied with a flat piece of wood on watercolor paper. In pieces like this, I love how the application of the ink with a flat surface is almost always uneven, but in a way that cannot be controlled. As in other pieces, I started with a general sense of where I wanted to go, but then let each of the emerging shapes point to the next.

At Fine Art America here.

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Emergence 3

I created this piece by laying down a thick layer of gesso in which I made patterns, textures, and various lines before it dried. Once it dried, I put down the pigment using thinned acrylics. The black ink strokes went on last while the acrylic layer was still a bit damp.

Go here to see print options.

emergence 3