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About the Work
I have focused on painting from observation, mainly landscapes. The training of drawing the live figure that is in front of me, I think has helped me to paint landscapes from observation. Both painting or drawing the figure from observation and plein-air landscape painting have something in common other than the observational part -the time constraint. The model must eventually leave and the sun must set. The time-constraint poses a unique challenge for which gives my work an energy and freshness that may be harder for me to achieve in some other way. I would probably spend too much on pieces if I had more time. My goal in my painting is to create an interesting design and depict what I actually see --maintaining a faithfulness to observation while giving it my own unique generalization. I think I need dramatic light when working outside. A sunny day is important so I have an excuse to paint very dark darks and very light lights. This makes things a lot easier when depicting visual reality which is achieved by depicting the quality and essence of light. The design of my paintings is achieved through the choice of composition, a personal style of painting (or mark making) and a little local color invention of inanimate objects. I try to include architecture as well as inanimate objects in my work. This makes it easier to depict light too, because trees and vegetation alone can be too amorphous --not allowing me to carve form confidently. If I can get away with painting a large area with one brush stroke I will if I can still render what see on the canvas and create a convincing space. I want to see the design and physicality of the paint on the canvas and remind the viewer that the work is also about paint itself as well as light. This challenge of generalizing and creating a somewhat “sketchy” or “thick paint” look in my work at the same time as accurately depicting what I see is the fun of painting for me. In 2011 things changed a little as a prepared for a one-person exhibit scheduled for the last quarter of the year. The focus of the show was to be restricted to only paintings about Lake Wauburg -UF’s recreational facility. I wanted to make bigger "statements" -bigger pieces. This led doing a lot more studio work. Along with several on-site plein-air paintings, many of the Lake Wauburg paintings can be seen through March, 2012 at the Falcon Financial Management Offices. |
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