Photos for Tour Group

Students in Gallery

When I went into the gallery last week, a class was sketching my paintings. That was neat to see.
I got a color copy made of the Angel Face digital piece. I am disappointed in how dark and flat it looks. I always like digital work better on the computer screen because of the bright glowing light. Also, I think that the machines at the print shop were off somewhat. I will try to transfer it on the wood but I know I will need to paint over it a lot and then I might as well change it and play with it.
I am not going to be able to post again until after October 15 because I am going to South Korea with my husband. He is giving a talk at a conference. I am looking forward to this experience and I bought a sketch book and traveling watercolor set. Hope to post sketches after our return.

Digital Finished

This was fun to do. Now I want to use acrylic medium to transfer it to a board and paint on it with acrylics again, metallic gold especially.

Going Digital Again

I am excited about combining my painted elements with digital photography on the computer. When I was in graduate school, I would do a digital piece then a painting and work back and forth. Then, I did not put paintings into my digital composites but mostly found textures and digital photographs. I was discovering how to work with paint media and texture with those explorations. I was very concerned about how to make things subtle and integrated. With my new work I believe I will learn about forms and shapes. I think going back and forth into the realistic elements of digital photography will be beneficial to my painting. I took a photo of this face when I was starting a painting. I proceeded to paint over this so I am glad that I grabbed it with my camera and was able to go back to it on the computer. Now I am adding photo elements to it. It might be hard to tell what is photo and what is not in the face. It is still a work in progress.
As I continued with the original painting, I overworked it and lost it. I am going to scrap it off and start over on the board. I recognize the mistakes of the painting because I have made them before. I had the idea I wanted to make a mythical beast so I drew the shapes and then tried to integrate it into the painting or space around it. Whenever I do that, it seems the painting falls apart into pretty marks and no form. The forms and images need to emerge from the process of painting almost like a sculptor building forms from clay. Tightening and defining towards the end of the process instead of the beginning. I am still not sure how to begin the entire process, although thinned out media seems to work well. When I do start with lots of thin medium, then finding good compositions and shapes is the challenge. But I see so many images in the tonal changes of color created from working with fluid acrylics and mediums.

It was a great show!

The opening was wonderful. Lots and lots of people, delicious food that never ran out and live music. Looking at the video I wish I was taller (short even with very high heels) and a better conversationalist, but I loved meeting the students and other attendees. Everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves too.
Thank you to the art students who took the video. They did a great job, I did the sloppy editing. While I am thanking: thank you to everyone who came to the opening, Blue Water Bay for the food, SFCC for being the host and Jayne Grant for coordinating it all. Jayne did a great job hanging the show, I was pleased with the way it flowed and that I actually filled the gallery. What a relief!
If you liked Soul Passages you can buy a print here: http://swaziaid.org/makersunited/Gallery.php
Also I have prints available at the Melrose Bay Gallery in Melrose.

Anticipation

I have been more excited and anxious this week than I anticipated. I am not generally a very social person and do not like being the center of attention. I can see why famous artists might have gone a little crazy when they became popular. As an artist, I am focused on the work and putting it out there, not me as a person. But now that I have taken the week to get used to the idea, I am looking forward to the evening. I love to talk about art. That is what I have enjoyed about doing art fairs. And the positive feed back is quite a rush. Friends that I know and volunteer with at church and in art organizations are coming. So I can see another reason it pays to get out of the studio and make contacts, you have someone to share in your celebrations.
Everyone whom I talk to seems very excited about coming. I was trying to figure out why I have more people wanting to attend this event than some others like art fairs. I guess the free food and music is a nice incentive. I hope people are not disappointed that it is a lot of works that have been shown before. I am glad that I have the writings that go with all the paintings to unveil, that is all new. When I do another big show in the future, I would love it to be all new works. But I went to a friend's show this past Summer that was a mixture of old and new works and I really enjoyed it. It was nice to see all of the works together in one place and in a nice space. So for the next post I will let you know how it goes. Unfortunately, I hear it thundering outside. I hope that will not dampen the attendance too much.

Show Information

The reason why the show is called Painted Dreams is because the best way I can describe my painting process is to compare it to dreaming. You do not decide exactly what will happen in a dream, it emerges from your thoughts, concerns and experiences. Forms and sometimes narratives emerge from my painting process, as well. I do not do preliminary sketches or studies, images appear from my layering, textures and gesture marks. Although I work intuitively, I intend for my paintings to focus on the positive and bring beauty into the world.

As with dreams, my paintings have recurring symbols one of which is a bird. To me, birds symbolize freedom because of their flight, nurturing and love because of their frailty and joy from their song. For this exhibit I am doing something I have never done before. And that is write a short poetic statement about each piece to put into words my thoughts and feelings about what developed in the painting. These words are often as ambiguous as the paintings and still leave viewers room to form their own interpretations. They are free to dream also.

Please come to the opening reception. There will be tasty edibles, live jazz and imaginative paintings. A feast for the senses and mind.

To Plan or Not to Plan

Today
Well, I am finally discovering that if I plan the direction of a painting that it takes longer to paint it than if I work with out a set plan. It is a revelation for me because I thought I was somehow making things easier by having a plan. With a plan, I do guarantee that I will have a better composition in the end but the process is not as satisfying. When I did California Poppies I made some shapes for composition, had some vague ideas of color and how I wanted to work the media but the imagery and subject matter developed toward the end of the process. A delight for me. Of course if it doesn't come together then it is very discouraging but if it works, it is elation. With Tree of Life I keep revising the colors, the marks and the media. It feels two inches thick. I have done this before, just when I think "okay it is going to work" and I make plans to send it somewhere, then it falls apart and I have to bring it back. Yesterday, I took a picture of it to post and discovered it looked worse than the last post and I thought it was surely done. Last night, I worked on the tree again, I felt it needed more outline marks to make the whole painting come together. In the previous version, I was trying to take the emphasis off of the tree and put it back on the atmosphere imagery around the tree. Too much thinking. I have been working on this since early August,ugh. But now it must be done, the show opening is just days away.
Yesterday

Blogs, Can anyone help?

I am very excited about the new possibilities that blogs are giving artists to reach an audience. For instance Blogger just made it really easy to add video, so I am going to try that. I want to post some video of opening night. I am also trying Feed Blitz so people can sign up to get email updates when I make a new post on my blog. I would love to connect more with readers, it would be motivating. Although blogging helps me even if no one is reading because when I need to write an art statement or talk about a particular painting I am ready. I have already figured it out in my blog.
Though I feel like a foreign tourist in a country where I do not know the language with these blogging features. I don't know how to change the look of the email sign up or exactly how it is all going to work. But I figure dive in and maybe I will learn to swim.

Tree of Life

I am working on this large 48" x 36" painting for the show. I am happy that it is turning out because I think this larger piece will break up the space in the gallery and look nice with my mostly medium to small works. I was somewhat formulaic with this piece because I really wanted to finish it in time for the show. I did not plan what the images would be around the tree but I began drawing stain glass type shapes around the tree and then "found" animals etc... while painting. It is quite monochromatic in color scheme but I think it needs to be so that it is not too busy. This photo is on the yellow side, I will take another one when it is finished.

Show Title Type

Wow, the middle of August. I think time is on fast forward.
I spent a lot of time on the type for the publicity material for the show. I think typography is like metal working for jewelry. You can continually sand and polish or quit at many various stages in the process.

Another combo.

I think it is between this one and the one on the top of the next set of three.

Pushing it

Getting Ready

As a graphic designer, I am really interested in designing the wall and poster type for the show. Here are some type treatments that I am considering. Which one do you like?
I can't believe there is just one month left to get everything ready for the show. The postcards need to be designed soon so they can be printed and mailed. I am so glad my husband has been making frames early. I will have a lot of running around to do at the end of August to pick up artwork from different patrons and venues.
I understand what Gary Borse was talking about when he said he could not wait to get back to the easel after his big show was over at the Capitol in Tallahassee.

Logistics

We are really getting into the logistics of the show now: making labels, filling out insurance forms, hiring a caterer, etc... My husband and I are making frames for the remainder of my unframed pieces. A corner clamp from www.woodworkers.com is wonderful but working in our hot, un-airconditioned Florida garage is not.
I am still hoping to do a couple of new pieces but I don't know if I will have time. Especially with my older son out of school and camp.
I have been thinking of Matisse and how his figures are immersed with nature. Many times the environment in his paintings are just as important as the figures. They all are vital parts of the composition. I can't wait to work in that direction. When I get time again.

Writing on the Painting

I have been writing short sentences to go with all of the paintings for the upcoming show. I am really more excited about that aspect of the show than any other. I have never done any creative writing beyond elementary school so I feel like a folk artist in that respect. I don't know if I am making obvious mistakes or not. Ignorance is bliss I guess. I am really curious how people are going to react to them. When my husband read one, he said "what does that mean?" and started making interpretations I never thought of. I think that is a good sign the writings match my art, ambiguous. Getting out of my comfort zone and entering the unknown is making the show more exciting and fun. If I ever get bored showing my art, I will have to remember to try something really different for me such as sculpture.

Poppies

This is the latest painting that I am working on and I feel that it represents a breakthrough. After looking at Chagall's and Odilon Redon's work, I wanted colors to stay in their own areas in the painting. The placement of the colors is forming the composition and is not dictated by the imagery and forms. I am also resisting the urge to disperse the colors equally over the painting. I still want to work more with the yellow areas and the small flowers but keep them soft and distant.

Internationl Exhibition

The online catalogue for the 10th international acrylic society exhibition is now at the following address: http://www.isap-usa.com/isapinternational/
My painting is in the galleries under Artists A-B
I was so happy to be juried into this show especially since I have been getting a lot of rejection letters lately. Gainesville is a competitive town for artists.

Man by the Sea

This painting did not flow from beginning to end like the last two small ones did. I ruined the colors making them too light and dark and then had to wash and sand them off and bring the forms back. What is amazing is how many sail boats and faces started appearing. That mystery of the creative process and how something develops never stops intriguing me. But as a painting I don't think the composition and color is as strong as in the last two. And I wonder if people will stop to see all that is hidden in this painting.

Free to Run

I really enjoyed showing for the art walk this past Friday night.
I am happy with this little painting too.

Island Shell

Composition - I feel like I am moving into a positive direction with compositions. I am starting with shapes of color and gesture marks to define spaces unlike before when I was starting with splashes of paint and texture.
Mediums - I haven't mastered where I want to go using the different acrylic mediums. I want the pieces to have thin washed areas and thick grainy areas like mixed media work. I used to be better at this than I am doing now, I would work a lot of wet into wet and wash everything off if it got to heavy. I would also use paper collage and stamping techniques. I am being too heavy handed with a brush now and getting that thick plastic look acrylics can have.
Color - I am happy letting colors stay in their areas of the painting. I once thought that all the colors had to be spread over the entire painting to unify it. So for instance a big face can be blue on one side and red on one side and yellow on the top to relate to its area of the painting not a face that is all blue with red shadows throughout and yellow highlights. So for this Island Shell painting, I started moving the yellow green around the painting but resisted the urge to put the white in another area and the teal in other areas. I guess it really is a matter of not over working.
Writings - I started writing short sentences to go with my paintings for the show. It is fun and comes really easy and fast. For some, I think a little bit about what I was feeling and thinking about at the time of the painting. For others it is just my interpretation of the image. It seems the more ambiguous the painting the easier it is to write for them. Making my nonlinear dreamscape type of compositions seem more valid. This is the writing for this piece: "The hot tropical night anticipates treasures for tomorrow."

photo by Sam Carr

Emotional Roller Coaster

Participating in art festivals can really be an emotional roller coaster ride for me. The one that I was in this past weekend was a first attempt in a new location and did not have a big crowd. I do not sell well in these types of local festivals. I think people who have art and photography that is about the local environment fair much better in these situations. And even with the locally inspired art, it has to be of high quality and creative to get noticed and bought. Low cost and functional art also does well. I need a more targeted audience for my work or millions of art lovers attending so that I can filter out my audience. It takes so much effort to set up and prepare for any festival even if it is not well attended or small. So after you have done all of the preparation and paid booth fees it is hard not to get your hopes up for selling. I won an award on Saturday so that lifted my spirits but after sitting in the heat all day Sunday and not having any interested customers. I started feeling pretty low again. What I didn't know that was on that very same Sunday I had sold a major painting at the restaurant that shows my work. There is always just enough success to keep me going and think my ship is going to really come in at any moment.
But after talking to Norman Jensen Saturday night, I have decided that I just need to get comfortable and settled in for the next 20 to 40 years. (However many years God allows.) Get in a place that my family likes and find a part time job for money and settle in to paint. Just be happy painting as a lifestyle and not be anxious for success. And let paintings go. Give them to charity or as presents or destroy them. I don't have to sell everything in order to make more and continue on my path.

Not Just Eye Candy

From the Painter's Keys Blog

'Eye candy'

by Adrian Deckbar, New Orleans, LA, USA

I teach at Tulane University as a Professor of Practice, often I use the squinting technique all the time, in teaching and in my own work. However, I am in a dilemma. Mel Chin recently visited Tulane and lectured and gave a power point presentation and cracked jokes--the whole schtick. He suggested that realistic painting with no political message is "eye candy." I am struggling with that notion. I hear his voice over my shoulder as I paint. Any advice?

(RG note) Thanks, Adrian. All art is confectionary of a sort even when it is political or when it is meant to shock. There is a place for all art but it is commonplace for conceptual, politically- or ecologically-motivated purists to debunk skill-driven realistic art.


My Response

The click back about eye candy and the lecture by Mel Chin really struck me. I create art to nourish others' souls and mine. If all of the art I saw, books I read, music I listened to and plays or dance productions I attended were politically charged, I would be depressed. I love thoughtful content but I think shocking art or political statements are not the only valid ones.

Always Learning

I am varnishing all of the paintings I have done over the last few months and I am starting to appreciate some of them more and more. I see that I have been in an expressive brush stroke phase. Doing more brushstrokes I believe is a result of attending the Skip Lawerence workshop. At the time I didn't know what if anything I was getting from that but I did grow and change. And brushstrokes were not his focus for the workshop. My earlier acrylic paintings were more like watercolors because I was using lots of fluid medium. I would like to do some paintings that combine the two more successfully. Lots of variation with thin washed areas, brush strokes with heavier paint and maybe even some collaged paper. With all of that, I have learned the shape and composition will need to be simpilier.

A Time for Compassion

What does anyone think of this new painting? I think maybe it is too cutesy. I am wondering why I am not getting the unique results of former mixed media sketches in my paintings. One theory I have is that I am getting too heavy handed with paint too soon. I like some of my former paintings that started as liquid subtle washes really watery paint mixing out of control and then I clarified with purposeful heavier strokes. I am anxious to try again but I need to get ready for two upcoming shows May 5th and 6th.



Speaking of cute. I can't resist posting my two sons photo from yesterday.

Houses in the Wind

This painting will always remind me of hearing the news of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Ironically, I was thinking of the houses I painted while being a graduate student at Radford University near Blacksburg, Va. yesterday morning and finished this painting yesterday before I heard the news. My husband got his undergraduate degree and did his post doctorate at Virginia Tech. I always think of it as being home, I didn't want to leave when we moved to Florida. My thoughts and prayers are with all of them there.

Juried Show

I had a painting accepted into the tenth annual International Society of Acrylic Painters exhibition to be held in the San Luis Obispo Art Center in California, May 5 through June 17. So it will be showing if I can follow the shipping instructions correctly. I wish I was going to the California coast with it, sounds fun.
My husband says I am not as excited as I should be. For me I would feel more validated if it was one of the pieces I am working on now. I have gone back to finding a narrative during the painting process, I feel this is the way I want to work the most. The accepted piece was from last year when I was working on composition and not allowing myself to find images. But it is one of my favorite pieces from last year and I know it came from me and was a result of my previous work. So I fell good about the piece. What I am really excited about is that I get to send a brochure for the gallery's binder. So on that I can put other work and my blog site and hopefully get some feed back. I have been rejected from the juried show at the Thomas Center Gallery here in town lots of times so this is much better than that. The first year I entered there, I had all three pieces accepted but zero since then. Those first three were single figures with layering not narratives. So I worry that my narrative work is not serious-looking enough to be accepted into juried shows. But I don't want to comform just keep following my path.

A Spring Chick

Here is a new painting in progress. I want to change the red face in the lower right. In the painting,the figures are hovering around a baby chick, I'm sure this idea is coming from my son's kindergarten class. They had an incubator and hatched chicks last week. I notice my new pieces all have birds in them and I was thinking of all of the ways birds are symbols. Personally, I think of birds symbolizing freedom because they fly, joy because they provide constant background music to my days (I hear them right now out of the window), and love because of the tender way we need to hold them on our rare opportunity.

Detour

My two are the gate and the palm in the middle.
It was great fun last week to be outside in the beautiful weather especially in a small town setting, be around other artists and have the large receptions. I think if I participate next year I will approach things differently. I intended to make the paintings more like my normal work but when I was out in the field, I could only draw what was in front of me. I think I needed to make sketches there and go back to the studio and think about everything and then create something.
I also could have had cards with information about my blog and upcoming show to hand out to all of these art enthusiasts. But the two galleries made sales of $10,000 in two days and that will keep things going and give me a chance to make contact at other opening receptions. Although none will probably be this big again this summer. From a business stand point it is interesting to note these receptions were successful because of personal invitations and not mass advertising. More artists inviting equals more patrons.

More Colors

After being around the plein air painters this week, I am hungry for delicious sophisticated colors. Nature is the best teacher. Mixing my own colors is something I love to do but it is hard in liquid acrylics because they dry so fast. Also working with the little bottles of Golden Liquid acrylics that the local art supply sells makes working on larger pieces even harder. You really need one of every color like with pastels so you can just grab them at whim. I find I mostly mix with white which is probably a bad habit.
Anyway all of the hot yellow in the " Looking for Home" painting started to bother me so I painted some of it out. But I don't think I am changing it much because I am not willing to loose it and bring it back right now. I think I will have to improve on the next painting. I used some of these thoughts on my next plein air painting. I thought if I use a strong red then I also need just as strong of another color, like blue. I also mixed more colors for it and it was small, so this was easier to do. I will have to take a picture of it at the plein air auction tonight.

New Images, Positive Directions

I am so excited to have lots of new images to post. First I have the two sketches with my son's art materials that pointed me in a new direction for my paintings. It is a way of working with varied lines and shapes and thick and thin color applications until a form emerges. I attempted some of the methods from them in a large painting of a bird, I entitled "Looking for Home". The narrative developed during the process which is fun. I like the painting but think maybe I should have attempted a smaller one first, this is about 3.5 feet tall. I am pleased with it though. I am also posting a plein air painting I did during the Paint Out my cooperative gallery is hosting. This is not my usual genre but I was pleasantly surprised how it turned out. All in all, getting out of my comfort zone and trying some new things was stimulating and hopefully beneficial to my work.

Creating the Unique

I am searching. For the unique, a creation, something familiar but different. Inspiring, thought provoking, enduring.
My son is 6 and has chicken pox (even with the vaccine) so he is home from school. We were playing around with his art materials yesterday. And he and I got some really nice sketches. If I could get ten paintings like my sketches, I would be thrilled and meet my goal for the summer.

Two New "Boy" Paintings

I like the layering of these two new paintings and they look more mature or artsy. I think if they were anyone else's I would think they were cool. I personally would like the subject matter to be more feminine. These are of male face's probably because I have been drawing and doing studies of my sons' faces. When I start working without any preconceived ideas it is amazing how things I have drawn, read or thought appear. I guess I should draw some things that I want to paint later. I have a list of meaningful symbols that I would like to appear in my work. I started with one of them, a ladder, in a "Boy's Life". I also want the composition to be non-linear and dream-like as in the center of "A Boy's Life". I like how the face in "Listening to Living Music" is dimensional, expressive and layered. I wish I could love the entire paintings as much as I love one part. I'll keep going believing it is all going to come together.

Listening to Living Music

























A Boy's Life

In Pursuit of the Muse

This blog follows my trials and celebrations in becoming a true painter. I paint for the thrill of discovery and the freedom that creation gives the artist. The artistic experience is mysterious and allusive. The more I want it, the more it pushes away. I can only jump into the abyss with confidence and hope that the muse catches me. But often I am filled with doubt and grab for safety nets that only bring me down.
Art, like life, can not have freedom without risk. And when it all works, it is pure joy.

She was a Farmer

Acrylic Painting, Farmer, Layering

I have been painting like crazy. March seems to always be a productive time for me and when I produce my favorite paintings of the year. This painting was what I call lost then found. I work, make a mess, do some layering and marks and then the subject matter materializes towards the end of the process then I clean and decorate for the final results. It seems like a weird way to work and I don't know how I am going to get a series in any timely fashion but I find this way of working most satisfying. I call this painting "She was a Farmer".

Poetry Boy, Carol Barber Acrylic Painting

I really want to pursue "a figure immersed in nature" theme as a series. Although the figure looks like a man, I did this painting from a sketch of my six year old. He was outside among the trees and plants playing a real song on his keyboard. This was a new seriousness and sensitivity that I haven't experienced very much from my energetic kindergardener. A special moment.
Since I painted from a sketch I believe the painting followed a found then lost technique rather than a lost then found. Which I don't find quite as satisfying, it seems a little, well, lost. So the age old question, " how do I start the next painting?"

I am a new member of the Melrose Bay Art Gallery, an art cooperative. I am sure I am going to learn a lot about running a gallery and I am excited to be working with such talented and fun artists.

Acrylic Painting, Carol Barber, Rise from the Swamp

I really enjoyed doing this painting. I love layering paint. And discovering the narrative after I begin the painting instead of having a plan beforehand. For me, I'm not sure if the end result is as satisfying as the process.
This piece started with a color exercise that I tried to scrape off the canvas. I like making something when the options are somewhat limited. It is kind of like cooking, I think I do my best when there are only three ingredients in the house and I have to improvise. Maybe I should get other artist's cast off canvases and make my masterpieces.

Carol Barber, New Acrylic Painting, Mediums

This painting went through an interesting transformation from which to learn. I think I like the face less because it got tighter but I like the flower area so much more. I like the expressive strokes. I was trying to use mediums to thin the acrylics instead of too much water to get quick layering of bigger areas of color. It has more of the depth I am looking for. Adding more blue also helped set off all of the warm colors.

Workshop, Carol Barber, Acrylic Painting

I took a week long workshop last week and my confidence is shaken. I feel now, I am ready to fly but I don't have wings at all. I finally completed this painting out of frustration and anger that I couldn't paint anymore. And I think it turned out pretty well. I want to work on forms. Make not only the color and marks show the feeling or thought but the forms themselves.

New acrylic painting by Carol Barber


New painting: "Can I Fly?'

I'm really excited about having a solo show in the Fall. I'm ready to let the paint fly.
I was listening to the Tom Petty song: "I'm ready to fly but I don't have wings." I was wondering if I already have the wings? Do I just need to jump out of the tree?

Acrylic Painting Carol Barber

"Moon Chart"
It was fun to collage and glue beads on this one.
I got news that I will have a solo show in the fall in the Santa Fe Community College's Gallery. It is a really nice new facility.

Layered Acrylic Painting Carol Barber Art
This is my newest acrylic painting, "Blue Bird". It is a relief after laboring over two failed paintings. I'm not really attacking the canvas with paint like I did in "Freedom Horse" and "Flight" but I am intrigued by the layering.
I'm excited about the new year and new paintings to come, I hope to create a cohesive body of work. My business goals are to be in one out of town gallery this year and be reproduced on one product.

Stolen Acrylic Painting Carol Barber Art

Help, what do I do or can I do? My painting was stolen from a group show in a public space. I'm sure I signed a waiver form releasing the establishment from any obligation to loss or damages. The fact that it is gone is not really a shock to me. I have sold great paintings for $200.00, a virtual steal. But in those cases, I knew that the purchaser really loved it and would take care of it. The best case scenario is someone loved it so much they had to have it. My worst case scenario is that someone stole it in hopes of making money from it and when that doesn't work, they destroy it. "Madonna of the Roses", it was one of those special paintings that flowed from the process of wet paint, water and intuition. I can't duplicate it and I was even using it on my business card. Should I put an ad in the paper for it? Call the police? Or just hope that it turns up in a yard sale one day, priced at two dollars but worth thousands.
Thanks for any advice.

The first image is my kindergarten son's abstact composition. The second is my newest painting "Freedom". My son's art desk is in my studio area and we defintely influence each other. I love the way his work fills the picture plane and I can even start to see a horse head in the upper right. Maybe I was influenced by him more than I even thought. The third image I call "Flight". I'm trying to "paint out loud" as Bob Burridge says and not cover up all of the magic that juicy paint makes.

I'm feeling at peace about my painting which is wonderful and unusual. I wrote a new statement to guide me and keep me focused:

I paint to go on a journey of discovery and feel as though my art making is like dreaming with paint. My painting technique is multi-layered and flows from wet paint and its textures into forms and back into surrounding spaces. My intention is for the paintings to convey a thought, emotion or experience and be read like a nonlinear story or dream rather than an exact representation. Therefore the work is open for viewers to also make their own meanings and interpretations.
I enjoy pushing and pulling the layers of paint. I believe this technique of layering and using textures to unify a work derives from my experiences with the computer program Adobe Photoshop. As a graphic designer and computer illustrator I used this program extensively. Painting on textured surfaces gives some physical space for the layers’ existence and the quick drying time of acrylics allows for immediate layering. From 2002 through 2006, I began acrylic paintings without any preconceived idea in mind and was surprised that figures appeared in my work and that I was interested in the passage of time and generations. Now I am bringing my artistic language of emotive color, expressive brush strokes, free flowing paint, textures and layering together to express intangibles like thoughts, feelings and beliefs. I am currently focusing on a subject immersed in its environment or nature and a feeling of freedom from that immersion.

M.T.'s Chop House
34th Street (just South of Archer Road at
former putt-putt site), Gainesville, FL
Bar counter installation and on going
solo exhibition of works for sale
Open for dinner nightly at 5 pm
call 338-7477 for more information

November 17, 7 to 8 pm
Third Eye Spoken
Participating in Art Gallery for Poetry event.
Held at Unity Church, 8801 NW 39th Ave.
across from Shands at Vista.

November 17 - February 10
Central Medical Plaza
Watermedia Exhibition.
New plaza is on Newberry Road.

Rotating pieces available at the Paddiwhack Shop:
http://www.paddiwhack.com/

I'm really happy with my new painting but it was total anguish to get it started in the right direction. I hope that I have learned about working and will be able to fall into a painting groove for a while and get some consistent pieces. I've learned that it has to start wet and loose. I have to push the painting until it pulls me. Tells me what it wants to be but still hold a grand intention in the back of my mind of what it should be. I started the painting to be about my back yard but then it looked like leaves and flowers. It was decorative without any solid forms. I was scared to let it develope into anything and I was playing it safe with my intentions.
But what I really want to paint are intangibles. Things hard to explain or understand, like the human spirit and soul, time, love, the boundries of the universe, the connections to the past through our ancestors, the capacities of the brain and thoughts. I am not interested in expressing my personal experience but the essence of all our experiences. I love drawing the human figure from life and have been thinking about it emersed in nature. I love abstract compostions that express thoughts and emotions. I like them to fill the space with interesting shapes not be like a landscape . My kindergarten son is drawing lots of abstract compositions, just drawing shapes and filling them with color. They are beautiful, I think I might post one tomorrow.