I've been working on this small series of experimental works over the past several months. Each of the five paintings has a unique painting ground and brand/style of paint ranging from watercolor to inks to fluid acrylics. My goal was to create the same or similar paintings using the same pigment colors across different paint product lines and surfaces, in order to get this kind of light and glow I was looking for. At some point, I forgot which medium I was using in each painting or ran out of a color, etc so my goal shifted into just making each painting work independently and as a group since I created them simultaneously.
I looked to both Rothko after a recent trip to the Rothko Chapel and to Georgia O'Keefe after reading an excellent biography of her life. Both artists, albeit very different, were masters of light. The last piece in the series, Slow Burn, I finished in the dark after Caravaggio, another master of light who painted by candlelight in order to get a chiaroscuro effect. This warm color palette originated from some amazing photographs of Antelope Canyon, a place I think I really need to visit soon.
Thanks for taking time to see what's new, I hope you enjoy this series.
A preview of the whole Hourglass series together. The light changes throughout different times of day which gives them a magical power. This is at about 11AM just after I finished up the varnishes and hanging hardware.
(Detail of Slow Burn) This last one did not come easy as you can see by the sides. I had to finish it in the dark in order to get the light just right.
Another detail of Slow Burn. The final varnish really brings out the textures and layers of color.
Under the Overpass, mixed media on Gessobord, 36x24", 2017
Flicker, mixed media on Gessobord, 36x24", 2017
Running Backwards Through the Canyon, mixed media on Gessobord, 36x24", 2017
Slow Burn, mixed media on Gessobord, 36x24", 2017
Flare, mixed media on Claybord, 36x24", 2017