"Estuaries" Original Abstract Painting

Details

Description

This is a signature piece.

I began to move from my own "interpretive realism" further into a kind of accidental … Read more This is a signature piece.

I began to move from my own "interpretive realism" further into a kind of accidental "abstract representational" art about two years ago. It took me nearly a year to find my bearings, and this is not only my first successful piece after that shift, it was also a hallmark of my journey as an artist. This piece, "Estuaries", was juried into the 2018 North American Show, "Strokes of Genius" at Maryland Federation of Art and chosen by Joey P. Manlapaz of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design out of 400+ artist entries.

"Estuaries" is a bit of a capstone in my work and only confirmed my inclination to move away from control over my mediums and instead allow them to show me what they intend to be. Fighting with paint, frustration over poor outcomes, and less than enthusiasm-worthy pieces lent me to purge my works that I felt no longer felt connected to. This year marks the 20th anniversary of my first completed painting, so I suppose this is in some way a formal separation. Although I have a few early works that I plan to keep for myself, all others are being painted over with parchment (an aged white hue) and given new life as a painting that perhaps I can relate to.

Control rarely produces beauty. And I'm finding, after twenty years of painting, that the less I bully my paint, brushes, or canvas, and the softer my approach, the more my work speaks to viewers. See less