New Paintings

I haven't been posting lately, but I have been painting. I don't think I have hit on the combination of all of the elements that I am striving for in a painting. The task may be impossible but that's what keeps an artist's life interesting. I went on a quest to find more definite shapes and forms in my paintings. But now I miss some of the organic things that happen by chance due to the nature of wet paint. I was reminded that if I want paintings to build and evolve from beginning to end that the initial strokes or splashes of paint are very important. With a good beginning, contrast, color unity, shapes and composition can all be put on a path to success. I may not have my subject matter exactly in the right direction either. I started sketching trees for inspiration for abstract shape but now I have begun to make the trees into isolated icons. I do value the element of imagination in paintings and maybe more of a sense of space will give the mind a place to wander. I am interested in tackling the figure again also.