Emerge 1,2,3

I am very process oriented in my painting. I love  to see the affects nature has on man made objects...

Over the winter I worked on several challenging commission projects. One in particular was very daunting to me. In the effort to do something more light hearted, one evening I took several wooden panels and turned them upside down from how I would normally work on them. I poured in different mixtures of acrylic and enamel paints that I had left over from mural projects. 

Then I set them outside in our small yard, where they weathered our very snowy and icy winter. Freezing and thawing again and again...

After the last big storm I brought them back into the studio and when the warm spring sun came I put them out to aid in their drying. When they finally dryed, I sealed them thoroughly and worked into them tentatively with acrylic paint. Not all of them were a success, but there are three that I'm pleased with- "Emerge 1,2 and 3".

Something that is not evident in the straight on shot of them is the residue around the inside rim of the frame- where you can make out the level that the paint reached before it dried and the water evaporated. 

While these paintings might be quite different from my normal work, they were a much needed playful experiment. During the process of their evolution, they were an exciting reminder of the fun of art while I was working very hard on tougher projects in the studio.

In the middle

There can seem to be no cure for the ache

questions

pressure

the desire to do more, better

the hope that maybe someday it won't be so hard...

There is no definite end

Or known exoneration date of the drive

The call...

The only thing seemingly close to a cure is to act

to create

to pray

to give your best

and sometimes just to make due.

To keep going

And choose to enjoy the journey.