Free Live Demo with Q&A

 I am offering a FREE DEMO at Winslow Art Center on Tuesday, March 23. This is part of a series of freebees Winslow is offering next week, in their "Spring Fling".

Slack Tide #6, 11"x14" acrylic on paper

I filmed the process of painting this image, which I will narrate live on Zoom, sharing my thoughts on composition, as well as tools and tips. I will take questions as well. Hope to see you there.

Even though it is free, you do have to sign up for this session. See details and sign up here.

Color Mixing Demonstration

I will be releasing a series of videos that demonstrate techniques that I reference in my new book, "Abstract Painting: The Elements of Visual Language".  While shooting the videos, we decided to do a number of short chapters on color mixing that could be available at no cost.  This is the first in the series.  I hope you enjoy it!

It is really fun to explore various groups of primary colors this way. It gives you real insight into the potential of specific pigments.

Demo at Edgewater Gallery

Last Saturday I demonstrated my painting techniques at Edgewater Gallery, in Middlebury, Vermont. I had never done that before - demonstrated in a non-workshop setting - and was not sure what to expect. It was REALLY fun! We will plan to do it again, maybe in the dark of winter with vibrant, warm colors.

Thanks for visiting.

Demonstrating a Cruciform Format

In Santa Fe at Valdes Art Workshops one student asked me to demonstrate, start to finish, how I would approach a cruciform format.  We were working on creating busy/active areas - areas that catch and move your eye - and contrasting quiet spaces.  Here is the piece I did; it is 8"x8".

I began with collage, using lots of contrasting papers.

I added some pattern, scribbling, more papers, and bright paint, just to give myself a lot to work with.

Painting Over, adding more, subduing more...

Here is the piece, provisionally finished. 

In this format, the active areas form a cross shape, each arm reaching to the edge of the page.  A cruciform format can be used in anything from a simple cross-on-background, to a figure, still-life, or landscape.  As an abstract format it poses interesting challenges, and I use it in my Keys To Dynamic Composition online class.

The contrast, or balance, of busy areas with quiet (but not boring) space is an interesting lens through which to view abstract pieces.  We tackle this in my class "Balancing Opposites: The Yin and Yang of Abstract Composition".  My next offering of this is at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, New Hampshire. I also address this issue in Big Fat Art, which I am offering at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach on October 3.  I have a Pinterest board where I collect examples of art that I find interesting in this respect.  Take a look.  When you look at art this way, it's interesting to see how relative the terms "busy" and "quiet" are.  An area that looks quiet in one context may be the most active area in another.  

Often a workshop participant will come to me and say "I know, my piece is too busy. I overworked it."  To which my response is often: you haven't worked it enough.  Most of my pieces are "too busy" before they even begin to take shape.  I tend to throw a lot at a piece, let it get a bit chaotic, and then paint over sections selectively and gradually until a direction emerges. 

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this.

Trying out my new video camera

Here is my first attempt at video. I am making a quick series of small collage paintings, first by using my own scribble painted papers, stained papers, and a few other items for a basic collage layout, and then painting over it with Golden fluid acrylics. I use acrylic matte medium for the adhesive and top coat.




Here are the four finished small collages:


On this one I added a little stamping with wavy corragated card stock to echo the same pattern as is on the scribble painted paper:
I printed white dots with a hand-carved rubber stamp on this one, and also added the wavy corragated lines
I used plastic cross stitch canvas to print the white grid patterns on this one:
Thanks for visiting!