Philosophy of Style.
I paint often in the style of Alla Prima, collecting several studies and transposing them into a painting directly in one sitting. The influence of Notan is also present, the use of highly contrasting values in negative and positive space. Many studies are done preceding this concentrated moment: studies in light, shadow, values, and experience itself, "the place where the gods come and go,"
a Navajo invocation for painting in the sand.
To paint a butterfly, one must understand the butterfly,
the many faces of a moment that dances.
Lingum, 14"x 28"
Acrylic on Canvas, Framed
PRIVATE Collection
I paint often in the style of Alla Prima, collecting several studies and transposing them into a painting directly in one sitting. The influence of Notan is also present, the use of highly contrasting values in negative and positive space. Many studies are done preceding this concentrated moment: studies in light, shadow, values, and experience itself, "the place where the gods come and go,"
a Navajo invocation for painting in the sand.
To paint a butterfly, one must understand the butterfly,
the many faces of a moment that dances.
Lingum, 14"x 28"
Acrylic on Canvas, Framed
PRIVATE Collection
Education and Influences.
Though I study outdoors, I am not a true Plein Air painter, and would not place myself among their ranks. I study Sumi-e tradition, but am not a traditional Sumi-e painter. I absorbed the kinesthetics of plein air and sumi-e traditions from my mother and father, spending countless hours playing in the New Mexican desert while mother painted in true Plein Air style. The Japanese Zen influence imparted by father's minimalism was a natural state for me.
I studied black and white photography for years. Well versed in the Zone System, my vision became more abstract as I took photographs under a high-powered microscope in college,fascinated by the highly contrasting patterns of cracked slides, or the texture of embryonic spinal ridges. From then on, I studied the world from the standpoint of patterns and contrast. ABSTRACTIONS ARE A REALITY if you look for them!
Many of the modern painters have a place in my heart. I have had the fortune of consulting with several painters whom I admire greatly, pouring over their work and memoirs, having their valuable critique throughout my blossoming.
Though I study outdoors, I am not a true Plein Air painter, and would not place myself among their ranks. I study Sumi-e tradition, but am not a traditional Sumi-e painter. I absorbed the kinesthetics of plein air and sumi-e traditions from my mother and father, spending countless hours playing in the New Mexican desert while mother painted in true Plein Air style. The Japanese Zen influence imparted by father's minimalism was a natural state for me.
I studied black and white photography for years. Well versed in the Zone System, my vision became more abstract as I took photographs under a high-powered microscope in college,fascinated by the highly contrasting patterns of cracked slides, or the texture of embryonic spinal ridges. From then on, I studied the world from the standpoint of patterns and contrast. ABSTRACTIONS ARE A REALITY if you look for them!
Many of the modern painters have a place in my heart. I have had the fortune of consulting with several painters whom I admire greatly, pouring over their work and memoirs, having their valuable critique throughout my blossoming.