"Conversations with Color"
30" x 24"
oil stick, encaustic on cradled birch panel
"Party Time"
7" x 14"
encaustic and watercolor collage
"Desert Cactus"
16" x 16"
mixed media on board
As evident by my newest paintings posted above, I have had color on the brain! The spring season is always inspirational to me, but I have been re-assessing where I want to be with my art which has led me toward abstract shapes combined with bold color and energized brushstrokes.
At home, I have been decluttering and replacing major furniture items with a simpler, cleaner look. As I often do, I changed the artwork in my living room to aid in the redecorating. "Conversations with Color" was created in order to add bold abstraction to the room and I am attached to this new painting, for now, but eventually I will include it in my festival exhibitions this summer. Being an artist has always had its advantages when it comes to decorating the walls in my home.
Also note - the large paper collage above the couch is by Nancy Thayer and the monoprint diptych on the right side of the wall is by Laura Moriarty.
The combination of encaustic medium with oil sticks has been instrumental in these new works, with a fresh awareness and reminder to use clean, bold color. I have been reviewing the R&F color chart below to make sure I have stimulating color combinations. Seeing color on a chart like this is helpful to me when planning a new painting.
Color and abstraction makes sense to me right now, in a world filled with chaos and turmoil. Kind of ironic, but art has always been the one place where everything always makes sense.
