Petal 2

Petal 2 (12" x 7.5", Oil Pastel on paper, 2005) happened accidentally. I should have published the original composition first, but didn't have a photo available and, due to changing this blog template (and struggling with "html", which I know next to nothing about), am out of time, so I'll just work in reverse. Really normal for me, anyway.

Sometimes I'll work on a painting, and keep working when I should just stop, and then I wind up tearing it up when it's no longer fixable. BUT - being the "abstracter" that I am, there is without fail a fragment that catches my eye and I'm off again. That's what happened here; Petal 2 is a strip I tore off one version of Petal 1. It's another piece of a hydrangea bloom, but what it is doesn't really matter; the graceful lines and colors of the fragment were the attraction. I like it much better than the original it came from.

Gives me an idea for next time (and maybe several weeks to follow). I did a serigraph (silkscreen print) of a building years ago. The prints that were misaligned or otherwise defective were destroyed, but WOW! what a wealth of work was created from the pieces. Stay tuned!

Hosta

Hosta (9.75" x 6.5", Oil Pastel, 2004) is one of the more abstract works that I've done. It was really fun to let go of reality and just enjoy the shapes and patterns created by the leaves of a varigated hosta. Since I use what my printer calls a "faint copy" as the base for the pastels, there are areas of color which aren't true to the original photo, due to lack of sufficient ink. Sometimes I ignore the variations, but in this painting I exaggerated them.

The result reminds me of works by some of the early 20th Century European abstract painters that I became acquainted with in my two years of art history in school. That particular era was my least favorite, since my preference at the time was for classical realism. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe how much my work has changed; at this rate, I really don't know where I'm going with it. The journey is quite interesting.

Hosta is in the collection of Phillip Morris USA, in Concord, NC.

Hydrangea 6

Hydrangea 6 (9" x 7.25", Oil Pastel, 2004) is a continuation of my abstract series of hydrangea blossoms. There are three so far with the same base inkjet print as this one, with each one turning out very differently from the others. I see new shapes and colors to explore, every time I print one. This is the most dimensional of the three.

Sometimes it is a struggle to find something to say; this is one of those times. It's been a gray, rainy, chilly day and my brain would rather sleep. If there's anyone reading this, I hope you enjoy the art and have a good night.