Vivid
March 4 - 27, 2010
Artist reception Thursday, March 4, 6-8 pm
Painting full-time over many years has brought ongoing changes in my work. Sometimes I alter the subject matter – landscape to still life, still life to interiors, and the like; or I switch the medium – oils to acrylics, watercolours to monoprints. Even just varying the scale from large to small or vice versa gives me a new challenge and a fresh enthusiasm.
A few years ago I realized that I wanted a more radical approach than that in my work. I longed for something less refined and more innovative. Classical landscapes cannot compete with nature in a realistic way; the complexity of detail and colour in the world makes for an unfair competition, with nature always winning.
While wishing to retain my ties to nature, I decided that I would stop competing. Rather than recreating a scene, I would allude to it. Could I get the essence of it, the feeling of it, without being specific?
Working photo for Vivid series
I have always been very interested in colour. By keeping the design simple with recognizable and comfortable images I allow colour to have a more potent impact. By ignoring ‘local colour’ I am able to improvise and invent more freely.
My working method is to lay on a ground of thin paint, let it dry, and then put on another thin layer. Using a large brush or a sponge, I repeat this many times, with different shades or complementary hues. This produces a ground with a sense of depth and complexity to it. How the colour will end up is unknown at the start of this process; I have a plan but it can veer off in any direction. The colour is finally right when it has a rich resonance to it. The layering of the paint gives the canvas a matte surface with a tensile strength that is seductive, and important to the character of the painting.
After the ground is prepared, I place the lake references on top. This is done intuitively, without any hesitation; because of the difficulty of making corrections, the placement has to be just right the first time. There is a certain kind of liberation to this unprecedented and direct action. The energy and lack of precision of the dry brush marks results in a rough drawing that provides a contrast to the smooth grounds, a welcome balance.
When I am painting I am always interested in relating to something in the world. Colour for me is clearly connected with feelings. I am intrigued by the transformation of the colour that happens in the slow process of building these paintings. I wish them to be simple, but not simplistic; lush but not cloying; familiar, but also mysterious.
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