"...true art lies in a reality that is felt." ~ Odilon Redon

One of the important lessons I learned from,  John Hulsey,  at my plein air workshop in  RMNP  was to mix a lot of paint,  so as not to run out of a color mid painting.  Great advice!  Since I am not as adept at knowing how much to mix I often end up with extra paint.  Now that I am painting in my studio again I have the opportunity to use the extra paint on at the end of my session. I keep several small format pieces in the studio for this purpose. I find this exercise at the end of a session to be a great lesson in creative thinking. These paintings which I have dubbed "side kicks" differ in "style" which often surprise me with new concepts.

I applied "left over" H2Oils in horizontal strokes over blue gessoed canvases, then scraped through the strokes to create some additional lines with texture. I had no  notion about what I was painting, except that some of the lines reminded me of landscape.  These are purely process paintings, so I allow myself to play without any concern about what the painting will look like when finished.

Yesterday, after working on a large commission piece for several hours, I had light yellows left on my pallette.  I rotated the landscape motif canvases, which had been painted 6 weeks ago, to a vertical placement and painted an organic pattern.  I didn't use any references or have any idea about the finished product, but I wanted the conversation to be about things growing and patterns found in nature.  Since these pieces are 12 x 12" I will show them, when finished in one of the many upcoming 12 x 12 venues in the Austin TX area, and at Austin ArtSpace Gallery

 

I hope you will enjoy seeing them come to completion. 

 While I recognize the necessity for a basis of observed reality - true art lies in a reality that is felt. ~ Odilon Redon