My art often starts with an emotional reaction to something I see, hear, or imagine. Almost immediately, I’m building a creative vision around it.
As I work with that vision. the external connects with what’s internal.
It might be a passion.
It might be whimsy.
It might be something else altogether, but it’s rooted in my emotional response to something around me.
I work in a variety of media.
Here are some examples…
DRAWINGS
Though I often joke that “they just come out of the pen,” they’re usually triggered by a deep need for self-expression. The finished work may have no obvious connection with what sparked it.
For example, this is from my Pandorica series (ref: Dr. Who). It’s pen and ink on paper, and about 10″ x 10″.
Click here to see more of my drawings.
PAINTINGS
My paintings vary widely, depending upon my mood and the purpose of the painting. When the light is “just so” or a detail fascinates me within a larger context, I aim to convey the beauty of the moment in a landscape.
This is one of my sunset sketches, capturing the light from our living room window when we lived in New Hampshire. It’s on an 8″ x 10″ canvas board. (Click on the image to learn more about it.)
Other paintings include extensions of my pen-and-ink sketches and drawings. For example, here’s one painting based on my “Pandorica” series of drawings.
Now and then, I’ll create an illustrative work, outside my usual style. This 36″ x 36″ painting was a gift for my nephew’s 2017 wedding in Huntsville, Alabama. My intent was to celebrate the joyous essence of the moment.
Click here to see more of my paintings.
MIXED-MEDIA COLLAGES
My collages have evolved from my love of personal art journaling.
Most of them – usually crafted with torn paper – find resonance in a single image, word, phrase, or texture. That’s the starting point.
After that, I typically focus on the rhythm of the elements. It might be color, mood, or an image that connects me with a powerful memory.
(Frankly, those words sound more lofty than the actual art process. Working with collage, I’ll see a word or image that resonates, and then say out loud, “Ooh, I like that!” without examining why it got my attention.)
Click here to see more of my collages.
OTHER INSPIRATIONS
From earliest childhood, I’ve been inspired by nature but also by music, literature, architecture, and history.
For me, art is an experience, whether my medium is oil paint, acrylics, torn paper, fabric, or photography.
Once the work begins, I’m immersed in the creative experience.
Luminescence is a key element in much of my fine artwork. I think it’s why I’m drawn to paint and photograph sunrises and sunsets, and capture glimmers of light and color in foggy landscapes.
The highest compliment is when someone looks at my work, inhales in surprise, and then whispers, “Wow.”
For me, real art reveals who we are in the moment. It should be unabashed and authentic.
Art is where I lose all sense of time and revel in the beauty and whimsy of creativity.