I am still kind of reeling from the flu but seem to be gaining ground on it. Yesterday, I was looking at some older work and came across an image of a small piece, something like 2″ by 8″ on paper, that I hadn’t considered for several years called There Is Still a Sun. It was from 8 or 9 years back and was part of a series of small paintings with industrial skylines as the backdrop. It was a short-lived series of work that had moderate success but was one that I really enjoyed painting. It was all about the challenge of design and color and many of the things I observed while painting these pieces found their way into later works.
This particular piece was one of my favorites from the group, more vertical than the others with finer linework in the silhouetted forms of the skyline. The colors and forms meshed well here, giving the piece a less representational feel. It was more graphic and almost abstract. For me, it just worked on many levels.
Looking back at pieces such as this is important for me as my style and process is changing almost constantly, never really settling into one distinct process. These pieces remind me of how different colors were used, how certain pieces start differently and how design within the picture evolves. It reminds me to trust my ability to create from reaction. It fires me up, making me want to alter in small ways some of the ways in which I am currently working, to get away from the groove in which my process has settled.
Funny how so much can come from glimpsing a little piece from years ago. Perhaps if I hadn’t been ill, I wouldn’t have stopped to look at this piece, wouldn’t have taken the time to consider these things.
Now, I just have to get back to the paints…
Redtree Times 