Feeling Blue is Great!

Early this summer I decided to make some paintings based on my love of the color blue. Of course I would use all the prescribed rules of the road - put the proper thought into composition, use variation in shape & line, think about the visual story the viewer would see immediately as well as the the finer points a viewer would find on closer look. But mainly, I wanted to created a series of paintings that I would want to look at, using shades of blue. I decided to work big, and to use water based paints because of their ease of use. I opened up a few cans of house paint, and mixed an array of colors in giant mason jars. Pulled out all my biggest brushes and filled a big bucket with water. This was going to be all about the artist having fun - kind of a 'dive' into the blue!

And the paintings that came out of that period show the energy I gained from that approach. There are giant marks, lot's of wet on wet areas, drips and splashes. You can feel the sun on the water, hear the boat cut the wake, listen to the wood & rusty hinges of the dock as it rocks in the waves.

It was a wonderful thing to follow an emotional path towards my work this summer - I enjoyed the process and the paintings that resulted show my joy.

Four of these paintings will be on view at JPG @ The Bank Gallery in Lafayette, CA beginning on October 10, 2019.