Spring is on it's way...

It's been very warm of late (72F/22C) and the energy has changed.There is a lightness coming back in, but it is delicate and not full strength yet. I've noticed people are a little more relaxed lately too. It helps not having to run errands in the rain.

This mood is reflecting in my paintings at present. I have two 36" x 48" canvases on the go and they are very light in nature and in color. The palette is pastel and White's and although there is still the element of calligraphy with the pastel mark makings from the 'Fog Series', they are smaller and fuller. They almost make me feel like plants in Spring time, as they pop through the ground and you just catch a glimpse of their furled up selves. These little markings may be small but packed with energy. They feel like they are ready to blossom and bloom. Maybe I will title them so. Below, are two small photo's of detail from the larger works.

I look forward to sharing the photographs of the final paintings with you soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the warmer weather and fecund energy.

'Lightness of Being' has founds it's new home here in Dallas!

This painting is rich in layering and is best shown, like most works of art, with good lighting. The original layers are still visible to read through the surface which is one of my favorite ways of working. I remember when I began painting  more than 15 years ago, one of my goals was to layer color in a way that still enabled the colors underneath to show through. Each layer effects the previous in some way (adding a blue over a yellow creates a green and so on) but by using glaze I was able to find a technique to enable the individual colors to still shine through. I marvel at great artists like Rothko and Reinhardt who have made of career of such pursuit. There is something amazing that happens when you lose yourself in a painting and it reveals it's inner being to you while you sit with it. I guess that is part of the allure of Abstract art for me. The painting requires you to stop and actually 'be' with it for it to reveal it's full self. The reveal is the reward for the viewers patience. I am pleased this painting will live on in the home of a good friend and hope it provides their family as much pleasure as it did for me with it's creation!