A few days ago I posted 18 small paintings. It’s the first time I’ve ever shown these paintings publicly. Many of them were painted under adverse conditions in my life. I delayed offering them to you for a long time for three reasons.
- They are intimate glimpse into my initial creative process.
- They were more valuable to me as continual sources of inspiration then short term profit.
- I just liked having them around. . . the range of colors is surprising.
Detail of Keys 1 Painting
Well time passed, and perspective came, and I realized that the process of painting them is the more valuable thing to me.
And I have finally decided to let them go
. . .but I might change my mind.
Many of the paintings are studies of the sun and moon, rising and setting, times of day when amazing colors of light and their effect on the landscape will change dramatically, within minutes, within seconds.
As I was chasing those colors, I worked like lightning, mixing paint and striking it down, rubbing and refining, trying to capture complex, changing color relationships.
I worked close and efficiently, with my palette almost on top of my canvas to minimize the motion of moving paint to panel, working almost intuitively, painting while keeping my eyes on the subject. Colors and memory quickly fade. Painting small allows me to paint colors as soon as they appear before they disappear. When I was s a child, my dad kept telling me, move faster son, we’re burning daylight.
Forty some years later I reckon I finally listened.
