abrir fuego - 2010

This painting, roughly translated as "open fire", snuck up on me. Originally my mind's vision of the end image was something altogether different but as I applied the paint it became more and more disappointing. It was not until I scrapped the original direction and started to react to each layer applied that this image eventually became manifest followed by that ever fleeting sense of satisfaction.

abrir fuego is acrylic on canvas and is 39in H x 59in W.

Horizon Study 1

Though this was made a year or more later, I do attribute the blending Horizon Study 1 to the 5 Colour Study. The layering of colours stuck in my mind and I took it another step with this piece. I was creating 4 paintings at once with Horizon Study 1 and Clash being two of the pieces. The other two got picked up in a silent auction though I, in my nativity, never got the buyers names or documented them... brilliant I know. Perhaps, God willing, they will resurface in the future. As you can see the drips on the side are prevalent and as usual are generating as much intrigue in the process as with the image and composition itself.

Horizon Study 1 is 24in H x 48in W and is acrylic on canvas. And I still have this one :)

5 Colour Study (YORGB) - 2003/2004

This painting was created around the same time as RYGB. Again taking a simple approach and basically layering one colour over another. Orientation of this piece is debatable but I typically like to hang it horizontally but it does have an appeal with a vertical viewing as well:

Thankfully, I still have this piece. Nothing racks my brain more than losing track of works. The retro 60's/ 70's colour bands couldn't be avoided. Looking past that I really enjoyed how there seems to be a subtle drawing into the centre and sense of depth and motion as a result.

5 Colour Study (YORGB) is acrylic on canvas and is 24in x 30in.

4 Colour Study (RGYB) - 2003/2004

Hello.. I bet you thought I fell off the map. Kind of did. Life took hold of the wheel for a while there. Anyway, thought I would continue where I left off with posting some of my older works. This 4 Colour Study I created approximately 6 or 7 years ago while studying at Emily Carr. It follows the themes of simplicity and colour composition. I was well into the Communist Manifesto which might explain the red but I was also attempting Mein Kampf which for some reason I failed to get through. Very interested in how basic colour combinations can illicit certain responses in the viewer. Propaganda at it's best.

MIA alert! This piece I have lost track of in one of my many moves since 2003 so unfortunately I don't have it and can't recall if I released it to someone or just plain lost it. Sad because I really liked it.. :(

RGYB was acrylic on canvas and was 18in x 18in

3 colour study (wob) 2002

I really need to track this back accurately but I want to put the creation of this painting to 2001 or 2002. It, too, was made during my initial exploration of colour and composition. Very, very simple. Playing with how solid colours interrupting a viewing space and creating a base response in the viewer. I really wanted to explore basic colours like orange, blue, or white. I've always liked white. It's connotation of purity and innocence. Something lost and never recovered...

This painting was another weighty piece. Acrylic on MDF- 49inH x 30inW

composition2

composition2 was a study created during the period 2001/ 2002. It was another lesson in preplanning size and material as it is four 48in x 48in paintings on thick MDF board. In other words: LARGE AND HEAVY! That aside I love the piece. It was pue experiment and exploration in colour and composition. The graphic qualities of the piece lends itself to the body of work I have created over the years that speak to commercial aesthetics. This also is another prime example of a piece that has multiple viewing capabilities for the viewer with the versatility of rotating four paintings. Another painting that influenced future studies in this vein of my artistic exploration.

composition2 is also done in acrylic medium. It also sits in my home given its size and need for substantial wall space. I really need to put a show together... (note to self)

neonewmanism 1 - 2002

This painting is a jewel. A diamond in the rough so to speak. Initially when I was studying at Emily Carr, I had aspirations to animate or illustrate. Painting was not really something I thought to seriously explore. This painting shifted my process significantly. Since I was enrolled in painting, I took the medium and decided to play with it. I loved simplicity and wanted to see what I could do with a large colour field and obstruct it with minor interruptions within the composition. This was the end result. I was quite pleased with it. It led to many other paintings and studies and probably can be attributed to my enjoyment of painting today. It wasn't until after it's creation that I was pointed to Barnett Newman. The American abstract painter of the mid 20th century. I embraced this resemblance to his paintings, hence the title.

Neonewmanism 1 is 49in H x 30in W. It is acrylic on MDF.