While I am passionate about creating visual art, I admit I am timid when it comes to talking about my work.  This website and blog are a step in the direction of learning something new, or perhaps many things new.  

 

One of my favorite memories is sitting in the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris surrounded by Claude Monet's water lily paintings.  The sense of calmness and quietude that enveloped me by those incredible works of art is difficult to describe. The colors were refreshment for my soul.

I wonder if heaven will be filled with similar colors.  I have read that many near death experiencers say upon their return to life that heaven is filled with colors far more vibrant and alive that those on earth. If Claude Monet was able to capture the impressions of such color, is it possible for me to catch some of that in my paintings? I don't begin to think that I can ever attain to the success of this master artist, but can I make the colors dance and sing in a way that enchants viewers? 

 

Every painting holds opportunities for me.  I can practice, learn, explore, test ideas, and solve visual composition puzzles.  Art work involves, balance, unity, value, color, brush strokes, mood, feeling, and much much more.  Sometimes, I am conscious of what I am doing.

 

I am presently working on a painting of the Metolius River. This is a chance for me to see how I can use colors to bring the moving water, foliage and atmosphere to life.  I began by making several sketches and taking photos while on site.  Then, I made value studies of the composition back in my studio, looking for areas of darks and lights along with balance.  It's funny, but at this time in the process, I squinted my eyes to reduce the image to large masses. Once satisfied with the balanced composition, I considered my palette, trying to limit the pigments I used for mixing the colors needed in the painting.  Color theory maintains a limited palette helps to unify the finished image.  When mixing the colors I needed, I learned I need to open my eyes wide to let in light and color (no squinting at this point of the process). This helped me maximize my understanding of the way the sunlight sparkles on the elements of the scene and what colors are present to give that impression. This painting should soon be finished and ready to view on my website.

 

Here are some photos of my work through out the process.  I hope you enjoyed peaking into the way the art side of my brain thinks.