2017

DUALITY (12:17)

Mixed Media: December 2017

Seeing things differently -- that is the artist's job. I am attracted to the work of the early American abstractionist. I'm attracted to their ability to use color, form, and expression to show a different view of the world. I was happy to stumble across the work of Alfred Henry Maurer who painted at a time when painting was transitioning from representational to expressive. He believed that art had the potential to express subjective emotions through representational forms. I believe that too.

To view the range of Alfred Henry Maurer's work click here.

RED STORY (9:17)

Mixed Media on Cardboard: September 2017

He said his favorite color was red. I didn't see it. The drawings were trying to go in a different direction. Everyone was nervous. First encounters are not easy. What to talk about. What position to take. Having difficulty seeing what was there. Too close. Too many feelings. And then everyone leaves and I see everything. Red.

CROSSING LINES (8:17)

Acrylic on Cardboard: August-November 2017

A figure drawing lies underneath each of these paintings -- drawings I liked. The challenge is to let go. Change. Go further. Cross the lines. Take a difficult path. Covering and uncovering. What's really there? This is what I do. This is what I see.

PORTRAITS (4:17)

Various Materials: April & October 2017

I like painting faces, but they are hard to justify doing unless they are commissioned. Let's say there isn't a lot of demand for portraits of unknown people (or unrelated people). That is why I am thrilled when someone asks me to paint their portrait. Faces are unique and I feel the painting should be too. It is an excuse to try new materials, new mark making, and see if I can capture something that a photograph never would.

SEPARATION (3:17)

Acrylic on Canvas: March 2017

I have sixteen canvases from a 2002 series that were originally meant as "filler" pieces to "go with" a series of portraits. The intention of this new series is to transform them into their own unique works but try to keep them related. The visual conversation is about creating separate planes through color, transparency, and shape.

Click here to see a short video about Liubov Popova whose graphic paintings are one of the inspirations for this series.

3D RECYCLING (2:17)

Assemblage on Canvas: February 2017

This on-going series is about letting go. I have an extensive inventory of not-so-successful works of art that were never completed to my satisfaction. A fellow artist once said to me that she never considers something complete until it's sold. In that spirit I'm re-tackling a series of cheesecloth portraits that never really worked. 

Click here to see examples of the original mixed media portraits.

REFIGURING SPACE (1:17)

Acrylic on Cardboard: January 2017

This series is a visual conversation about the conflict between abstract art -- which in its purist form does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and texture -- and figurative art which speaks to my interest in relationship. What is art about if it isn't about something?

Click here for further information on this subject.