The painting above is the first in a new series of auto-geographical paintings I've begun after much thought and extensive viewing of the work of many others, as well as my own older pieces. I've always been intrigued by the power of text in a painting, and back as far as '77 I used it in Passage Interdit (below) to heighten the sense of wonder I had on that first (and unbelievably my only) trip to Europe. In thinking about the next steps in my painting practice, I've come to the conclusion that while I've greatly enjoyed painting highly detailed pictures of things I can see in my camera viewfinder, I'm ready for something different in the process and from the paintings it creates. With the resources and experiences I'm commiting full-time to the effort, I want to step it up.
The fracturing of the picture plane is something I used in a series of watercolors back in the 70's too, and I've always liked that kind of enigmatic distruption. This group of oils will include these details that speak to the many levels of my explorations and perceptions drawn from my overflowing library of images. I do love the magic of pictorial space and the drama of representational oil paintings that transcend their somewhat arbitrary borders, and I also tend to see things horizontally. So another part of my review and planning was settling on a size and aspect ratio that facilitates immersion. This is the third recent painting I've done in this format, and I like it enough that I've got a group of about ten in mind. Stay tuned !
My wonderful gallery representation: LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
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