I came across this piece from 2002 yesterday while looking through some old files. It’s titled Trance and is a 20″ by 24″ canvas. It sold very quickly back then so as a result didn’t live with me for a long time. So when I come across it as I did it’s almost like seeing it for the first time. Eventually the feelings that the piece initially triggered when I was painting it are recalled.
It’s a very simple composition, so the feeling and depth of the painting are dependent on being carried by color and strength of line. The imagery, though simple, is strong with all detail pared away leaving the viewer to focus deeper into the scene. Though there is subtlety in the color it’s not delicate which goes back to what I’ve said before about preferring bold lines and colors, that a strong, confident stroke is always preferable to fussy or wishy-washy, of which this piece is neither.
In other words, I like this piece’s strength and simplicity.
I’m currently in the midst of preparing a group of new work for later this autumn for the galleries that represent my work. It’s a different atmosphere and pace than prepping for a solo show. There is less direction and more opportunity to examine new avenues, new concepts. I’ve been primarily working in the obsessionist style I’ve spoken of before, a style that I’ve shown in recent posts. The painting shown here, Trance, is an early example of the style although the newer work is more dependent on layers of brushstrokes in the sky to achieve the color and depth I’m seeking, giving it a much different look. You can see the difference in this new painting that I recently posted.
I have some other new ideas that I’ve been rolling around in my head for some time about which I will hopefully have something to post at a later date. But for now it’s back to the easel…
Redtree Times 