New Series

I'm starting to coalesce around this textured body of work and have decided to title the series Della Terra ("of the earth"). There are a lot of earth tones in these paintings, and lots of surface texture as I've described here in earlier postings.

In making the paintings with thick paint mixed with wax medium, I often trowel it on in layers, building up color and interest as I go along. Sometimes it almost feels like working with clay (of the earth), another point of reference for the title I've chosen. As the layers build up, I also dig back into them, scrapping away and excavating down into the layers beneath. The mottled results suggestion to me, erosion or old weathered surfaces of stone, as one might find in the landscape. I like this very much and this is also part of the reasoning for the series title. Pictured here, della terra II, 24" x 24", oil on panel.