My new series is going well. After years of being unhappy and dissatisfied with my work, I've finally started to paint the way I should be painting.
These paintings, which I've been presenting as a new direction, are process oriented. Here's the process and the thought behind the step:
- First I lay out random colors and the strokes are unplanned. I feel free to do this knowing that all this may be covered up. The paint is thick and wet and usually in bold, primary colors. I make a complete mess. I do several pieces at a time.... like a production.
- Before the first of several pieces dry I will pick up the first painting and work in white around the random colors I had previously put on. I like the way my brush picks up color with the white and the background gets interesting
- When all the pieces dry, I paint white on top of areas and around the areas that are interesting. At this point, I am making some choices about composition, form and shape. I use a dry-flat-brush technique on top of areas I want to look vague or shadowy
- At this point, the work goes from drying flat on the floor to being hung on the wall.
- I stare at the work while doing other things like cleaning the kitchen, laundry and watching tv. This is why my studio needs to be in the middle of the house. ..so that I can live around my paintings.
- While staring at the works, I make dicisions on composition. When I am sure about what needs to be done, I will take a piece down from the wall and work on it. I sometimes will have to sacrifice something beautiful in the piece for composition and vise versa.
- When I return a piece to the wall, I never make a decision on it being finished until I've lived with the work for several days or sometimes weeks.
- I move works around on the wall...shifting finished pieces to one area forming groups.
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