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 ABOUT
MY ARTWORK
Having
weathered many of life's storms, I find that coming back to
my first love, painting, made me younger -- and without the
angst of youth. While an affirmation of life and a celebration
of beauty are contributions, I departed on a new venture in
September 2007: to show the contrasts in the world: the sublime
and the terrifying. My work continues to tell
about the awe and wonder the eye can see, but it now looks
further afield to enter the ranks of artists who speak out
about the world.
I
have striven to master modern issues of color and composition
within a primarily realist context, and the paintings say
"look at what I see."
I
paint because ...I am excited
by the real world and because I am thrilled by the process.
I love the feel of the brushstroke; I even like the washing
up after a session. I use strong composition, color, and line.
There is movement, intensity, energy, and an edge that is
my unique "take."
I
became enamored of acrylics when I discovered what I could
do with color on color, with glazing, and with quick repair.
I like to work with pots of color that are my basic palette,
but I premix the particular hues, values, and saturations
I want for the specific painting, also adding and changing
as I paint.
After finding that plein air (outdoor) painting doesn't suit
me, I developed a way of painting in which I use my camera
as a sketchbook. I create the composition, sometimes combining
elements from several photos. Once I decide on the proportions
I translate that to the size and shape of the stretcher bars
for the canvas, which I stretch myself. Recently, news photographs
have become models for some of the elements of the paintings.
I rely on color theory and my own instincts to tell me what
to do. I may go back again and again while I am working on
a piece until it captures my vision. I remain a representational
painter because the beauty of reality, no matter good or bad,
still holds my attention. While my subjects cover a
wide range of images, the paintings are unified by my eye,
as beholder. I am pleased that some of my paintings are described
as beautiful, and that people sometimes say "Wow."
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