Having discovered painting as a verb instead of a noun only fairly recently at a fairly advanced age, my paintings are more instinctive than intellectually reasoned out, and my goal is to illicit a visceral reaction to my images rather than an analysis of technique.
I paint in oil because I love its fluidity, depth and forgiveness. It’s like finger painting with a brush. I typically use thick paint, although I like to go thin when the painting seems to want it. I feel I have been honest with my painting when two are side by side and viewers are surprised the same person painted them.
I paint environmental scenes in an abstract realistic way, abstracts, and symbolic images in an abstract environment. I paint heavy-handed to get beneath the surface glaze. I have been including figures more often recently, usually silhouetted and removed from their surroundings and each other in a way to imply lack of communication. An aspect I like about thick paint, especially with dark colors, is the dimension added by reflected light. The highlights added to dark colors are often unexpected and add vibrancy to what color is there.
When I paint I am in competition with the image that is in my mind, what is developing in the painting, and with what I expect others to see. I paint scenes based on images, thoughts, and even dreams that have sparked responses in me that have seemed important -- hoping those same responses can be stimulated in others, whether by form, color, texture, or context, to give them a life beyond my own limited environment.
A painting of an object such as a sword is just a sword unless the painting gives an insight into the sword’s past, present or future. Abstracts shouldn't be just a conglomeration of color and or shapes, but be in some rhythmic pattern that makes the painting a whole unit. I hope my paintings leave something for viewers to interpret based on their own experiences and expectations.
