Friday, March 23, 2012

Bears Den Study, no. 7

Bears Den Study no. 7
 oil on panel  6"x 8"
Sometimes the painting dictates what you do - sounds weird but it is absolutely true. I pulled out a small panel, thinking I'd work fast and bold and try to get the essence of the place, the light, the space, in just a few well chosen strokes. Instead as I fell into the exploration, the intricacy of the forms slamming together and the power of weight and forms took over. Each mass had to find its place as it described the place of the form adjacent - it became a puzzle to solve carefully. I'll post the other studies over the next few days and look at how I arrived at each one.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

August
 oil on panel  9" x 11"
Haven't posted in a while - I've been painting all along but time and some health issues and a general lack of anything much to say all conspired to keep me away from the blog. This little study from last summer seems to catch the heat and atmosphere of an August afternoon - but the process of making it had none of those things in mind - it was just immersing myself in the visual structure and color and letting the 'chips fall where they may' - that's the challenge and the joy.