Experimentation

For me, much of the beauty and excitement in painting is the search for something new. While I definitely build up series of paintings, I'm always pushing further to explore something new, something interesting to me. Curiosity drives it as much as anything else. 

Currently I am working on a new series of paintings where the surface texture and the color is central to the work. I've been adding a wax medium to the oil paints, applying lots of contrasting layers, scrapping off, gouging etc, and literally building up a painting over many sessions. I've also just started to combine "finished" panels to see if I can create larger works with interesting combinations and juxtapositions. I have a few of these now which I consider finished, and will be updating the web site soon with this new body of work.

Lately I've started to combine many very small panels painted in this textured way, to form elaborate grids. The small panels are actually different depths, which adds another layer of interest to the finished work, making the painting kind of a relief sculpture as well. This is all still being worked out, but right now it is really interesting to me and is starting to take shape. 

Pictured here are some of the first grid paintings, still works in progress and laid out on the studio floor so I can see how they are shaping up. In the background, larger paintings being built up... and still a ways off from being completed.

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