"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." - Anne Bradstreet

I LOVE this winter season...I am still hoping for a enough snow to get my ski's and snowshoes out for some adventure!  It is also this wonderful winter season that is so quiet here that I can really immerse myself in my painting.  Very few outside distractions make for some great moments in the studio as well as some exploration and experimentation.  
Art can never be comfortable.  As I am working, I find so much angst, so much confusion, so much of the un-known...as I layer oils and pigments on top of each other, unearthing layers underneath...and somehow, most of the time, it finally speaks to me...finally is finished.  This may take weeks; this may take months.  But it truly is this PROCESS that I LOVE!
So, as we celebrate this Winter Solstice, may we enjoy the quiet time and the beauty of the winter season! Enjoy this winter day!
                                                 time well spent....this winter solstice day!
                                             "Winter Birches"   oil, dry pigments on wood

"A dominant colour possesses tremendous power in making a painting unique." - Mary Bassi

RED

Red is a very strong color and as I flip through my portfolio, I find that I use it a lot!  Red hot, heat, fire...not so much outside today...more like white, gray, cold.  Color has temperature, you can feel it, it can move you.

I feel color has always been a strong part of my painting practice.  Sometimes it is color that is the subject (some famous painter said that one!) and that is how I like to keep it.  Adding texture and subtle differences or shifts of color in my art is important as well.  Some days when working in the studio, the subtle shifts of color come more easily, sometimes they aren't so subtle and are quite strong and stark.

Here's to red on this cold winter's day...may it light a fire and keep you warm!



                                       "Let Go" 37x30" oil on wood panel
                                      "Horizon" 20x16" oil on wood panel
                                  "Mossy Forest" 12x7" oil on wood panel
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