This is a painting that I’ve been working on for the past several days that I’m calling Through the Labyrinth for the time being. This piece, a 24″ by 24″ canvas, is part of what may be a new series for this year.
I see this series progressing as a group featuring the look of my typical landscape with a patchwork of fields consisting of blocks of saturated color and random geometric patterns. I really want to maintain a rhythm in these fields and make them feel natural and easily translatable to the eye.
By that, I mean I want to take something that when looked at from a purely analytical stance may not be totally natural or rational and make it appear to be so within the framework of the painting. There’s an example of this in this painting, one that I have used in the past. If you look at the sun, you recognize it as the sun. But when you stop and think about it, this sun defies logic. It is darker than the light emanating from it.
This was initially done without forethought and didn’t even occur to me until a couple of other painters pointed it out. It always translated naturally in my head as the sun, the light source, despite its comparative darkness.
This is the type of visual translation I want to continue with this next possible series. At this point, it’s still only a possibility. I’ve worked on a couple and have another one, a large piece, taking shape in my mind. It’s all a matter of maintaining a natural, organic flow through the piece that creates an environment where the viewer is made comfortable and secure, allowing them to accept it as a credible reality. This sense of trust allows the piece to take on a real sense of place.
We’ll see how this goes. This piece is a good step forward.
At least, I think so…
Redtree Times 