African Dance

African Dance 48"x24"x1.5"

African Dance was born out of a very profound learning experience for me in regards to painting. I had been doing some research on artists and their styles when I came upon Mel McCuddin, a fantastic figurative expressionist. I think I have literally watched his video on YouTube a hundred times. In all my years painting - well over 30 - I have never found an artist so close in theory and style. When I hear him speak it's as if my own words are coming out of his mouth. So this painting was my first experience with following his process. The undercoating begins with a full range of color, splashed and blended in a very random and full of energy manner. It's truly my favorite part. The painting is then set to the side for a couple of days to just be "looked at". This was a test for me. I have a tendency to get very excited and impatient by what I see - eager to create that which is speaking to me. But this time I didn't. I actually managed to wait. Eventually I began seeing this wonderful picture of a very awkward women laying on a beach, gently reclining on some sort of chair without legs. I just could not get that picture from my mind. Every time I walked by the painting I saw her. 

This is where I blow it. 

The thing that makes Mel McCuddin such a fantastic artist is that he keeps the mystery going. He never finds the picture and then sticks to it. The picture morphs out of a continual progression, constantly changing until that moment when it is done. I, on the other hand, get very attached to my minds eye. So I took a white pastel and began to sketch what I saw. For the most part, I thought I was following his process. I was "finding the picture" in the paint. So I just kept sketching. The picture was fantastic. The drawing unusual and intriguing. But something did not feel right. Unlike my usual behavior of diving right into the paints, I waited again. It must have been a week that I sat with that chalk girl looking at me. And then it hit me. Once again I was getting bogged down in the details - tied to the picture. No more mystery! 

It was hard, but I got a damp cloth and wiped her away. I opened up what colors I thought would best go with the colors that were showing through the dark cover of the underpainting and just began to wildly splash paint on. 

I followed my heart. 

What emerged was African Dance. I knew just when to stop. It was so clear to me. More clear than any painting I have ever done. It was as if the painting itself spoke to me. Finished. 

I love this painting. There is something very feminine about it to me. Old and wise. Celebratory. I truly hope that it finds the right space.

Emerging Buddha

Emerging Buddha 12"x6"x1.5"

Emerging Buddha is exactly that. This was a tiny experiment with layering colors and textures. I really had no idea where it was going and all of a sudden a face appeared. Just with a few defining strokes, Emerging Buddha came forth out of the light. The wonderful thing about this painting is it's depth and texture. Depending on which way you turn the painting and look at it, the face changes. She was a lovely find and sits on my fireplace mantel waiting for her home. 

Boundary Waters

Boundary Waters 18"x36"x2"

Boundary waters was my first experience with major texture. This painting is extremely organic and has a multitude of dimensions not necessarily visible in these pictures. Deep and rich in color, it reminds me of the rocky shoreline in Northern Minnesota, a place near and dear to my heart. If you have ever been in the BWCA on in early fall morning, these colors will resonate with you. Misty gray rock, tannin colored waters, sun seeping through the forest... This painting brings me to that moment.

Creation

Creation 24"x48"x2"

Creation was my very first attempt at acrylic abstract painting. For the years prior to my illness, I was strictly watercolor, almost always botanical realism. My work was all about the detail. After getting sick I was unable to control my hands like I had in the past and so trying to do that kind of work was extremely frustrating. This painting is the energy in that transition. From small, soft details to large, edgy and what I describe as "out of the lines". This painting was incredibly significant in my journey with chronic illness. It was the end of a difficult grieving process and the beginning of acceptance and the expression of that acceptance. This painting is about letting go. 

Colorful Buddha

Colorful Buddha 30"x30"x1.5"

Summer's Window

Summer's Window 24"x12"x1.5"

Summer’s window and Vintage were both born out of the same experience. 

"Vintage was my first experiment with using fabric as a sort of “stamp”. I had seen another artist do a similar thing only with plaster and a doily. It worked lovely and I have since been racking my brain as to other fabric options. I named this one vintage because it gives me the feel of something old - rusty, yet dainty. I love going through old abandoned farm houses. One in particular, in northern Iowa, was just like he people walked out of their life. The house was full of little pieces of life. When we went down into the basement, which was nothing but a fine dirt floor, we came upon a very old car. How it got there I have no idea. Almost as if they had built this old farmhouse around it. This painting feels like that old house to me." 

Vintage

Vintage 14"x11"x1.5"

Vintage was my first experiment with using fabric as a sort of “stamp”. I had seen another artist do a similar thing only with plaster and a doily. It worked lovely and I have since been racking my brain as to other fabric options. I named this one vintage because it gives me the feel of something old - rusty, yet dainty. I love going through old abandoned farm houses. One in particular, in northern Iowa, was just like he people walked out of their life. The house was full of little pieces of life. When we went down into the basement, which was nothing but a fine dirt floor, we came upon a very old car. How it got there I have no idea. Almost as if they had built this old farmhouse around it. This painting feels like that old house to me. 

I painted this one and Summer’s window at the same time. Both, coming from that same experience. 

Dreaming

Dreaming 14"x11"x1.5"

Dreaming did not come to me until it was completed. I wasn’t sure where the paint was taking me the day I painted it, but it had the distinct feel of two separate worlds to me. In and out of reality, floating to the surface and not always sure. Edgy. This painting seems to resonate with men. Simple, yet complicated, it grows on me the more I watch it.