Crossroads Painting

As with all work in my current process, this piece began as an all-over gestural, mark making work with pencil, charcoal and graphite powder. Four layers of acrylic paint were then applied creating color relationships and improvised shapes. The final stages involve further form improvisation with the use of oil paint and cold wax medium. Lines are often created with the edges of shapes. As an artist (painter/musician) I am forever interested in unorthodox forms, adaptation and improvisation. The painting exhibits both visual and physical texture. Since the support is wood, there is a good deal of scratching, gouging and physical mark making at every level of progress. The piece is sanded at different stages of development and glazes are also applied and wiped off. It is made rich with layering, repetition and random order. In the final stages, the painting actually leads me to where it needs to go. At this point it becomes obvious that the painting has a life of its own with self-contained logic. To fully appreciate the work it should be viewed from a distance of four inches to twenty feet and everywhere in between. There is up close intricate detail as well as gestural and color relational movement to keep the viewer entertained for a long time through many viewings.