August 2008

"Illluminated #1 "
10" x 10 " (25 x 25 cm)
acrylic & gold leaf on panel
available
click here for purchase information

For this painting I first gold leafed a wood panel. I then applied many transparent layers of paint and glazes in abstract forms to create the illusion of a landscape. I like the mountain shape in the distance, which reminds me of Japanese woodblock prints.

July 2008

"Energy Field in Electric Blue "
48" x 36" (122 x 91 cm)
acrylic on panel
available
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By using a combination of techniques and using a composition structured with horizontal bands, the illusion of a deep space is created here. I like to use techniques in combinations to create contrast, so I use opposing qualities. Opaque painting techniques contrast with transparent colors, muted tones contrast with intense and bright, soft edges with hard edges, and dark tones with light. For more technical information on painting techniques please visit my painting blog.

June 2008

"Illuminated YellowGold"
32" x 26" (81 x 66 cm)
acrylic on panel
available
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I really enjoyed creating a variety of movement patterns in this painting of waves, rocks and sunlight. Sometimes I like to push the abstraction in a painting to the point where any reference to reality disappears, and the painting becomes a color field, or “energy field”, as I like to call them. Here, in this painting, the reference to an ocean is still very visible. The key is in the horizon line. By introducing the horizontal framework, there is a definite landscape feel. When I remove any horizontal line, then the painting becomes more of an abstract field.

May 2008

“Gold Field”
32” x 26” (81 x 66 cm)
acrylic on panel
sold

Even though I have been trained in a variety of professional painting mediums (including oil, watercolor, egg tempera, pastel) acrylic has been my favorite medium of choice for the past 7 years. It’s not just the acrylic paint that I favor, but perhaps it’s the short history of acrylic – it being so new, invented quite recently in 1939.

When I paint with acrylic it feels “lighter” somehow, more easy to invent with, less burdened with a long history of styles as with oil. There is a tendency to keep acrylic bound into a narrow playing field by forcing it to act like oil or watercolor. But with this painting I allowed the acrylic to move the way it wanted to, in a sort of a collaboration between me, my idea and the paint. I sometimes call this collaboration “letting the genie out of the bottle”.

Most of my paintings contain about 30-40 individual painting layers and take no less than one month to complete. This one though, was completed in only 4 or 5 layers, and the original surface shows through in some areas. In this painting I like the simplicity and directness.

April 2008

“Figure in Plastic Space”
7” x 5” (18 x 13 cm)
acrylic on canvas (mounted on board)
Created specifically for
Site Santa Fe “Site Unseen” Benefit April 08.

I draw from live models at least one day a week. It’s a great way to stay sharp, even though I am primarily an abstract artist. For this piece I took one of my figure drawings, made a copy of it to the size I wanted, and then turned it into an acrylic transfer. In other words, I transferred the copy ink directly into acrylic gel. This transfer on gel contained the black lines of the drawn figure but suspended in a clear acrylic skin. This skin was then glued onto a painted background on canvas.

March 2008

“Bosque del Apache”
40” x 30” (102 x 76 cm)
acrylic on canvas
sold

This artwork combines two different painting techniques using acrylic. Washes and stains were first applied like watercolor, but instead I used diluted fluid acrylics over an absorbent ground. Then glazes were applied to bring out details, and intensify color. On a recent trip to the “Bosque” a national wildlife refuge about two hours south of Santa Fe in New Mexico I created many small sketches and paintings while there outdoors. I was enamored by the contrast between the clear blue skies, and the late November yellow-orange colors of the fall leaves. Later in my studio I combined elements from these to create this painting. For more painting techniques please click here to order my new book, Acrylic Revolution, published by North Light Books.

February 2008

CLOSE UP DETAIL

from "Think of Something Fun”
48” x 36” (122 x 91 cm)
acrylic on panel
available
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Viewing a painting in person usually provides a richer experience then viewing a photographic reproduction of the same painting. The surface of a painting has a tactile quality, inherent in the texture and sheen, that adds an important aspect to the beauty of a work of art. In addition, the actual size of the painting, and size of the brush strokes, create a big difference in viewing between the original and a reproduction. Here is a close up view of one of my paintings using thick impasto (texture). To read more about techniques please click here to visit my painting blog. To see the whole painting, click on the link at the bottom of this page which reads, “acrylic techniques posted from 2007” and scroll down a few images.

January 2008

"Turner's Ocean "
40" x 30" (102 x 76 cm)
acrylic on panel
sold

Through my paintings, I hope to offer a meditative and peaceful sense of beauty. This image combines many painting techniques to create my trademark style of atmospheric waves, while presenting unusual handling methods of acrylic paint. I used special gels and pastes to create original textural qualities, and incorporated new iridescent paints to add a subtle reflective quality, catching the light in surprising ways. The colors will shift as you walk by the painting.