Here are a few new ones I've been working on, all oil on panel.   I'm trying to come up with ways of seeing the familiar in an unexpected way, by way of context or by juxtaposition - through comparison.  Also thinking about opposites and using that in all aspects - cool/warm, active/passive, depth (glazes)/opacity, movement etc. all moving towards the idea of union through opposites, or harmonious balances of differing elements.  Also more present in these is the notion of decay. Haven't quite figured that out yet except to say that I am (as always) interested in cause and effect.  Nature as a force that ravishes is not something new but it's interesting to me as a metaphor.

The more I look at this one, the more I dislike the bottom strip. May have to do something about that, or do another one! Always in progress...

Pat Steir

This artist is currently working out of New York, and has been doing these "waterfall" paintings for a few years now.  Her work touches on ideas that the Chinese have been exploring for centuries - the notion of motion and flux, the element of the void, and how our bodies interact with these.  Her work is typically very large, enabling the viewer to become overwhelmed or perhaps absorbed into each piece.  In many ways this work is anti-establishment. The paintings are evocative and fall into the intuitive realm so unlike the work that is being celebrated in NY and beyond.  Fear of beauty/decor is one characteristic of contemporary work-no doubt why quite a bit is self-consciously "ugly".  I think these paintings move beyond decor- they are introspective, without being self-directed.  In other words, they move beyond themselves, unlike the work of the abstract expressionists, where the work was form for form's sake.  These paintings enable the viewer to transcend themselves, become lost in the beauty of nature, and interact with ambivalent, ungrounded space.  Some may even suggest that work such as this is typically, in a round about way, a discussion of death, the ultimate void.

Today I discovered these little gems on the backsides of my paintings. The pigment flowed underneath the wood and formed these lovely patterns, which I am determined to try and recreate (on the front!). 

Evidence

Danish artist Per Kirkeby

This is an interesting painter in that he was educated as a geologist and his work reflects those interests.  The paintings are built up in layers and resemble geological processes.  He was initially involved with the Fluxus group in the '60's, doing performance pieces,  but began painting in this manner in the early 70's.  His mark making derives from abstract expressionists but his work lacks the ego-centric focus inward of that era.  Kirkeby is a prolific painter, printmaker, and sculptor, and his work is in museums around the world. 

Per Kirkeby

Altered Sketchbook

I recently started a new project, an altered sketchbook that I will be using as a way to brainstorm ideas.  The sketchbook is something I'm trying not to over think but I am using intersecting patterns and juxtaposing differing/similar ones in this book.  I  am also toying with the idea of underlying structure and using layers to reveal the subsequent patterns. The darker images are essentially paintings made with dirt - I like the tactile nature and surprise of opening a book that has a dirt filled page.  Thanks for looking!