Studio work April 8

I've been working on different ways to explore the repetitive strokes, and it is leading me in two directions: work that is more minimal, and an urge to return to my gestural work. In my opinion, my gestural work is much stronger for the more disciplined kind of painting I've been doing. Perhaps it is simply a matter of how many times your brush hits the surface and what you learn from that. Thinking about this reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour concept in "Outliers". I certainly have far to go, but I am indebted to my mentor, who wisely charged me to return with 20-30 paintings for each of our meetings, without going into any long explanation as to why. And it has shown me that many days will feel like nothing is happening (or lots of not so pretty things are happening), but showing up and sticking my brush into the paint will eventually lead me to somewhere.

From 2011 April

From 2011 April

From 2011 April

Studio Work April 1-3

Experimenting with whites:

From 2011 April

From 2011 April

New arrangements

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

Diptychs and Triptychs

I've been working on multiple pieces of the same size, continuing to explore the strokes. Running the strokes into lines. I've been thinking about how two or three pieces can function in conversation with each other. How they might be simultaneously about sameness and difference. The spaces in between, not only the strokes but the pieces of paper, have emerged as important...how things meet, pull apart, go together...how edges respond to each other.

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

Here is work that I haven't arranged yet:

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

From 2011 March

Studio Work Feb. 18

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

Studio work for February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

From 2011 February

Studio work for Jan. 30

From 2011 January

From 2011 January

From 2011 January

From 2011 January

From 2011 January

Studio work for Jan. 16

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

From 2011 January

1/16/2001, acrylic on canvas, 42"x44"

From 2011 January

Studio work for Jan. 14

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

From 2011 January

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

From 2011 January

Studio work for Jan. 7-8

My advisor suggested that I consider constructing paintings using modules, with rules I set up for each particular painting.  I am experimenting with using one size brush (my favorite round).  I want to maintain the unique quality of each stroke and let each one be slightly different (to let each stroke comprise the shape, rather than use a stencil or actually paint in the shapes (like Alma Thomas, for example).   For this painting, I decided to use quinachridone magenta and vermillion mixed with white.  It's hard to see on screen, but the first three layers are very light and ghosty, almost the color of the gessoed canvas.  I'm working from the lightest tints, to fully saturated colors.  I may then put lighter tints overlaying, or I may leave it and move on to another.

Acrylic on canvas, 42"x44" (Jan. 8 2011)

From 2011 January