Studio Notes

Before we slide into the holiday season I am taking a moment to reflect on my year of painting. It can be helpful to look back and review, especially if you are in a place where you doubt any progress is actually being made. So this is a summary of the projects I did and progress that occurred during this past year of my painting practice.

I began the year painting seascapes. It must be the winter season that inspires me to seek warm sunny days at the beach.

^{Unwind, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches}

This is one of four seascapes currently available at With These Hands Gallery in Edisto Island, SC.

In April I was delighted to be given representation by the wonderful gallery, Carolina Creations, right here in New Bern, NC. Pictured above is Walking With You, (acrylic on 24 x 24 inch gallery wrapped canvas), one of seven paintings of mine available there.

I re-opened my Daily Paintworks shop where you can find small landscape and seascape paintings including this mini seascape, Seaside II, acrylic on canvas panel, 5 x 7 inches.

I enjoy painting representational works as a counter balance to my abstract paintings.

To keep the intuitive abstractions going I revived my Field Notes series this year. No matter what else I may be working on, I enjoy having a Field Notes painting in progress as a part of the conversation in my studio practice. I realized it was an essential part of the flow that I had been missing these past couple of years. Pictured above is one of six new Field Notes paintings completed this year.

From there I moved on to a small series of six paintings inspired by patterns in nature. This is Ripple, 16 inches square on cradled panel. I am honored that it was accepted into the Mid-Atlantic New Painting Juried Exhibition at the University of Mary Washington Galleries in Fredericksburg VA.

And I was equally delighted that Windows Left Open, (acrylic on 16 x 16 " cradled panel) was accepted into the national juried exhibition Absolutely Abstracts in Bethlehem, PA.

During the summer I took a short break from abstraction to make some small cloud studies. Just like the ocean, I do find skies so inspiring to paint.These are also available in my Daily Paintworks shop.

^{It Had to Be You, acrylic on 24 x 24 in gallery wrapped canvas}

By September I was ready to dive back into painting larger, intuitive abstractions. My inspiration was based on incorporating mark making from my previous patterns of nature paintings along with expressive brushstrokes, texture, and layers in a more open and airy compositions. 

^{Figs on Sunday Morning, acrylic and embroidery floss on 30 x 40 inch gallery wrapped canvas}

Additional ideas have taken shape, including incorporating thread as a linear element. I have paths yet to explore with this series and have been fueled by the results to continue this process. 

^{Coastal Fog, acrylic on 18 x 18 inch canvas}

One of my goals for this past year was to participate in more exhibitions. This was realized by not only the two juried exhibits mentioned above, but also with this painting, Coastal Fog, accepted into the Yadkin Arts Council Regional Juried Exhibit. I also included paintings in two local invitational exhibitions at the Bank Of The Arts here in New Bern.

The holiday season is typically a time when I ease up the pace in my painting practice and turn my attention to other creative activities. I like to use the time for smaller projects that are easier to focus on amid the hubbub of the season. I have plans for drawings, sketches, and color studies, and of course there is all the creative cooking and baking that goes with the holidays. Who knows, I may even make some Christmas cards this year. 

Until next time...

Thank you for reading!

Stay safe and well and creative!