We’ve outgrown our space! So we’ve expanded our display at the Gallery at Midtown to add several new paintings.
For those of you who may not be able to come by the gallery, this short video will take you on a virtual tour.
Meanwhile, please check out the New Additions section on the website for my latest watercolor and acrylic paintings.
I have just completed my largest work to date, a 4′ by 4′ canvas entitled Amity which means friendship. Painting on a canvas this large was indeed a challenge. My studio measures 10′ by 12′. It contains a desk for computer work, a drafting table with a mounted matte cutter, two chests for supplies and a two-drawer file cabinet. All this to say there is precious little space left to maneuver, let alone paint on a large canvas. It only took one time hitting the ceiling fan to learn “the keep it low when moving” lesson.
Amity is a non-objective done in acrylic. There is no object [hence the reason it’s called non-objective], so you have to depend on design to make the painting interesting and pleasing to look at.
As part of this overall design, some of the things I’m working with are interesting shapes, color balance, pathways of darks/lights that lead your eye throughout the painting, variation with repetition, dominance and contrast.
Amity will not be my last large painting, but I am glad to be concentrating on smaller works for a while.
The two smaller works, Fire and Ice and Fire and Ice II, are both 20″ by 20″ acrylics on canvas. The combination of cool turquoise and warm rust play off each other to help create interest and appeal. The similar color schemes make the paintings work well when hung together.
Thank you for taking the time to view and read about my art. If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I began my banking career at 19 in the bookkeeping department of a small bank in my home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The job was a way to pay bills and eat. I had no idea I was beginning a 30 year career in banking that would include becoming a vice president for three Texas banks and working in the regulatory department of a large international bank in New York City.
While we were living in Manhattan I began exploring watercolor. You can only do so much decorating in a small NYC apartment, and I needed a creative outlet. An artist friend made a list of all the painting supplies needed to begin. For a year I painted with only the aid of books and the long distance critiques of my artist friend. Progress was slow at first, but I never grew tired of making the effort.
After we moved back to Texas I had the opportunity to take an intermediate-beginners class from one of the leading artist/teachers in Dallas. As if I were not already hooked on painting, this class cemented it. I am currently blessed to live less than a half mile from my artist friend. We paint together weekly.
As a confessed perfectionist and control freak, watercolor is a great medium for me. There is no perfect in watercolor and very little control. The characteristics of how the paint, water and paper react together can absolutely be magic. It is this possibility of magic that keeps me painting and continuing to strive to learn more.
