recent works – 2009

These are paintings done mostly over the past two years, not including the most recent of this spring ’09.  Thirteen of these works are among the twenty-five in the June exhibit, “Rare Gems and Dynamite”,  at Hot Shops.  

Though I began teaching Life Drawing as a graduate student in 1995, the figure had not been a dominant presence in my work until two or three years ago.  Some of the images are compositions lifted from alchemical engravings of Michael Meier for a series of emblems called Atalanta Fugiens in the 1600′s.   (see “image sources”)

I’ve been working at loosening up on the brushwork and resisting my urge to clean-up the edges.  The energetic yellow painting is one of a series of eleven middle-to-large scale, non-representational process-paintings created for Bellevue University’s new, state-of-the-art, Educational Services Building.

To see the last work created for the “Rare Gems…” exhibit – and, a good example of clean edges and tight observation – see the portfolio “jordaens progress”.  It is one of a series of old master replications I like to challenge myself with – pushing my skills and understanding of painting process and technique, form, anatomy, proportion, observation and color. 

Another recent reworking is of  “Estragos de la Guerra” by Francisco de Goya, which can be seen in the “Rare Gems and Dynamite” page gallery.  It is from his series of etchings, “The Disasters of War”.   Using old prints as base-imagery, I expand on the original hatched, black-and-white, with paint and color.  (see “image sources”)

  • Share/Bookmark