Single Panel Paintings
I began painting these single-panel paintings after months of drawing. The bed clothes or counterpane soon evolved into a metaphor for hills and valleys of a landscape. I soon reinforced the landscape metaphor in some of these paintings with a sky; in others I left the interpretation to the viewer. I continue to explore ideas in this single-panel format. These paintings range in size from very small, 9 x 12 inches, to quite large, 48 x 64 inches. All are painted in oil on either cotton or linen canvas.
Multi-Panel Paintings
I had two objectives for these pieces. The first, a practical consideration, was to be able to work large scale and yet to transport them more easily, that is by car rather than truck. The second was the aesthetic consideration of the placement of the multiple panels. If I didn't line up the physical edges of each same-size panel, one to the next, or didn't always use the same panel proportions in the same direction, the viewer would be drawn to the space created by the unmatched edges. The viewer then might also be engaged by visually completing the missing parts of the image. These works range in size from small, 20 x 48 inches (each panel is 18 x 24 inches), to large, 60 x 132 inches (each panel is 36 x 48 inches). All are painted in oil on linen and are either diptychs (2 panels) or triptychs (3 panels).
Shaped Paintings
Traditionally a frame functions to separate a painting from its environment. In this series, I consider the frame of a painting as an integral part of it. In these, the landscape is less apparent as I zoom in closeup on the folds and drapery of the fabric. All are either oil on linen or cotton canvas and mixed mediums on a plywood base and are in two sizes. The smaller are approximately 20 x 18 x 2 inches deep; the larger are approximately 38 x 30 x 2 inches deep.
Works on Paper
When I felt I had exhausted my exploration of another body of work, I looked through former pieces and came upon some drawings and silkscreen prints I had done years before. I saw some undeveloped ideas that I could now explore. So these former works supplied the impetus for the entire Bodyscapes series. The drawings in color pencil began the present series and developed the visual idea of bedding as a landscape metaphor. These pieces are either hand-pulled silkscreen prints or drawings. Update: As of 2018, I've returned to working on paper: a multi-medium, exploratory series called "Resting." Each piece begins with a silkscreen of one or two colors, which ties the series together. Enjoy!
