My father passed away one year ago today on April 1st. It is said that a parent can give two important things in life to a child ...roots and the wings to fly. For my father............SOARING
... there can be light. I say this as a mantra now when I paint. I have recently made a point of studying the work of the American tonalist painters, from the 1880's in particular, George Inness. After visiting and viewing his work on display at The Delaware Art Museum, I found that in returning to my studio, I had finally found that my painting soul felt at home. I had an immediate response to the subtle shifts of light and dark that was so very present yet not stark and abrupt. There were grays that united forms yet it was a slight change of tones within the color range that created the mystery. Paraphrasing and condensing information from: What is Tonalism(12 Essential characteristics) by David Adams Cleveland: Tonalism is a use of subtle color tones, atmosphere, and nature painted in an emotional way. Using a 19th century approach of lost and found edges to evoke a mysterious sense of place or mood. Landscape elements are presented in a way to affect th...
Each day I walk into my studio and some days my brush is a magic wand but sometimes it's a piece of lumber. The important part of that sentence, the take away thought, is "each day". All the best brushes, top notch paints, stacks of sketchbooks + good intentions = nothing until I walk through that door and do something to move myself forward. Surprisingly, sometimes I find going backwards is a way forward too. A case in point. I rework older paintings. You know, the ones that sit faced to the wall or on a shelf, even hanging in my own living room! Passing by it each day, all of the would have, could have, should haves nudge it back onto my easel. A #WIP, a work in progress, is filled with possibilities to learn, experiment and grow in my skills. I don't need to reinvent the wheel with each painting. A new idea is wonderful but if it's not working out that day I don't walk away. I look over my shoulder at that stack. Remember the past informs the present. ...
Acrylic ...that was my next adventure. After years of establishing a following of watercolor and mixed media I decided to take off after an idea that I had been kicking around. That "what if " question that lurks behind the " I'm bored" thought, took hold and for the next two years (remember my learning curve) I explored this medium. At first I struggled with the properties inherent to the paint. Unlike watercolor that used water as a vehicle to spread color, acrylic just stayed where I put it. No exciting explosions of colors mixing... I had to create that . No accidental forms that pushed my imagination... I had to create that. WAIT...just why am I torturing myself? Is it worth starting all over again? ...but what if? So it began. Once I set aside my expectations of painting as I had before, I gave my self permission to play. I got paint on my hands, mixing globs of paint just to see how it reacted, smearing it on canvas,papers and panel...
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