I am captivated by cerulean skies and cobalt water. I am beguiled by the color blue.
In my work I explore the myriad shades of blue to portray the feelings of air and water, two elements so essential to human existence.
It begins with a blank canvas, covered in some basic shade of blue or sometimes green. From there I add more blue, more definition, until the painting tells me it is complete. Then I step back and try to read what it says.
Sometimes it speaks of the fury of the storm: rain pelting the water, waves lifting to the sky, dark clouds in the distance. Sometimes it speaks of the peace of a new day when all is calm and expectant. Many times it speaks of something in between, the tension that is so often present in life. Often a dark element will show up in one corner, a reminder that the world is more complex than we would like it to be.
Each painting is unique because I start with several shades of blue on my palette and mix them as I go. I don’t worry about paying attention to what goes into a mixture. I don’t care if I can ever repeat a certain shade. Those unique shades belong to that painting.
Many talented artists look at a scene and paint what they see so that you, too, can view that scene captured forever on canvas. I am not one of those people. My paintings are impressions and suggestions rather than realism.
I carry within me fifty plus years of blue skies. I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas and have seen my fair share of sea, rivers, ponds, bayous and spacious skies. The memory of all this blue is imprinted on my soul and I paint to express that beauty.
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