Abstract Floral Series
A Peek into My Process
 
I hate to waste paint, so when I have some left over, I use it to paint a variety of backgrounds/underpaintings.  In 2016,  I decided to do something with stash of underpaintings and unfinished beginnings.  Always yearning for spring, I thought, why not a series of florals?  Although I had painted many "realistic" florals when I first returned to painting, I decided on abstracts this time around.

Here are three phases of my process in Abstract Floral I:

1)  Sketch done with white pastel. on painted background.
2) Negative painting around sketched shapes.
3) Adding color and texture.  And to complete the painting, I added in some leaves.

I love using this really fun approach.  I may even try a simplified version of negative painting with my Open Studios visitors this year!

On Aesthetics

I like this post from David Limrite, one of my favorite artists and teachers.  Check it out!

http://archive.aweber.com/dlmainlist/Eg4By/h/MY_TAKE_ON_AESTHETICS.htm

Evolution of a mixed-media bricolage

I’ve spent the past year working on paintings for a solo exhibit (up through 9/29 at Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay) entitled “Dreams of Africa.”  Although I’ve never been to Africa, I’ve known many wonderful Africans; taught works of African literature; and appreciated the music of a plethora of African musicians.  Long story short, eventually all these experiences with things African were bound to surface in my art.  (In fact, I think I lived a previous life in Africa!)

Perhaps my most planned painting in this series – I call it a “mixed-media bricolage” – is “Place du Marché” (marketplace).  I wanted to do a piece that evoked the cacophony, the color, the dusty and rusty, discordant, haphazard feel of a marketplace in sub-Saharan Africa.  At least, that’s the way it appeared to my mind’s eye!

I worked a long time on this piece, painting papers and collecting items that would help convey my idea of such a marketplace, trying to plan out just the right composition and arrangement of items and colors.  It slowly evolved, until finally one day it just felt finished.
The early stages involved just playing with previously painted papers on top of my wood panel, trying to decide which ones might be “keepers” for this piece.  

I then collaged pages from a French novel onto the panel, then played with and arranged pieces of tissue paper on this surface.  This gave me the backdrop for determining the rest of the composition.  As I placed the disparate components, I paid special attention to using color and black lines to move the viewer’s eye around the composition—essential so as to give some coherence to the otherwise wildly incongruent elements.