The color images here are a few of the roughly 2 dozen that I’ve done recently on my deck in the morning sun. I’m posting them with some examples of drawing because the line can be blurred between drawing & painting, representational & abstract. I love both and I certainly don’t consider myself an “abstract artist”. It happens to be a large part of what I’m doing at the moment & I realize that I never knew as much about colors & how they work together as I do now. So it’s been an exciting journey that I’m continuing, and the energy of an abstract or mood image appeals to me greatly.

The variety of the weight of a line or smudge or mark in a drawing gives it that bounce and originality. How many times have you seen a drawing that is technically proficient but boring?  There’s a saying I heard many years ago that I’ve always liked that applies to most things; “whatever you do, don’t be boring”.  Doesn’t mean loud, crazy or chaotic, ( that has it’s place too) but interesting; what makes it different & unique?

These are recent pastel drawings influenced in part by the skeletal structure of fish, which I’ve always found beautiful, and creepy at the same time. Ever look at fish skeletons? Quite a variety; imagine a child with a crayon box being told  “there’s the skeleton, use every color”. While it would be just as much fun to draw them representationally, I am still feeling the energy of abstract lines.

These pastel drawings were mostly done in 2014, and a few from a year or two earlier. The immediacy of pastel appeals to me, and it’s not a medium I used much in the past.

As I overlap layers of color, or place one next to another I’m thinking of how it relates to the image as a whole. Will it create too similar a tone in that section of the picture and draw the eye, interrupting the balance? Does the combination of shape & tone create peace, or excitement?

Many of my images evolve without very much formal planning; I’ll have an idea of the color theme and the forms; beyond that I let instinct take over. I am however gravitating toward a couple of regular slightly more structured themes in my newer work, where I am creating a series of related pictures in varying color.

Ok, we’re off and running. This site will have examples of my art including abstract and representational, including figure drawings. I’ll talk through my process as well; I’ve always enjoyed getting into creative people’s heads, and you’re welcome to see into mine.