Security Blanket

This is the first of a series of paintings in a sort of op-art style that I hope to one day produce as a quilt - hence the name.

"Security Blanket I", 36"x36", oil on canvas

Blue and Gray

This painting hangs in my professional office. Of all the works that have hung there, this one has drawn more comments than any other. Why?
History paintings were at one time all the rage. Since the photographic process had not yet come along, painters were the visual recorders of history. But for the last 150 years photography has taken over that job.
This oil on canvas painting (24" x 48", 2008) is based on a photo made infamous during the war in Viet Nam. It is in a sense a history painting of a history photo of a historical event. The blue and gray colors recall America's own mid-nineteenth century civil war as well as the one erupting at home during the Viet Nam war.

Rose

I started to count the number of triangles in this painting. Then I decided it would take longer than it did to complete it. I estimate over 5000, though.
I use the triangles as an anti-grid. Although the image consists of individual units (triangles), they are irregular and individual, each triangle contributing its own important function to make the whole. This is in contrast to a gridded or pixelated image, in which all units are identical except for color and intensity. Can you place the metaphor?

"Untitled (Rose)", Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 48"

Breaking the Rules

Tina Steele Lindsey wrote in her blog not too long ago that she would at times "bend the rules" by using supports that she had been told would not work. Woo Hoo! You go girl! Give me an art rule and I am either going to figure how to break it successfully or confirm it just can't be done. Take this painting for example. It is oil and acrylic on canvas - only I painted the acrylic after the oil. It worked perfectly - the panes between the images are painted in acrylic and appear almost (but imperfectly) adhered on. Just what the doctor ordered.
"Attraction" 2006, 30"x40", acrylic and oil on canvas.

Ronnie

Ronnie was in the waiting room at my office whiling away the time (as we all do) when he happen to see this painting on the wall. He inquired of the receptionist whether Dr. Bell had "done that painting." She informed, yes, that it was someone Dr. Bell knew. Ronnie replied, " I know who it is. It's me!"
In fact many years earlier Ronnie had done some house painting for me during which time I made a photo of him. Several years passed, however, before I actually painted this. Happily he was pleased that I had "painted him" and I was pleased his likeness was so recognizable.
Ronnie's face has a lot of character which interested me as a potential subject for an art work (he's also quite an interesting guy). This has become a favorite of mine and now hangs permanently in my studio. Created in 2007, it is encaustic on canvas measuring 24 inches square. As always, click on the image for a larger view.

Artist's Block

I, like many artists, find myself in situations where I don't know what to paint - artist's block. But sometimes the work defines itself. This 48"x48" acrylic on canvas, I estimate, will be comprised of over 5000 colored triangles. So when I walk into my studio I know I what to do - paint triangles. Not always the most fun thing to do, but I am liking where this is going. I'll post the finished painting when done.

Wax Fruit

Interesting to me was that my grandmother always had bowls of wax fruit used as decoration. This painting is based on a bowl of real fruit, but is painted with wax.
Encaustic paintings are created with pigmented wax applied in layers. Top layers are fused to underlying layers with heat; usually a heat gun, propane torch or iron. Check out Joanne Mattera's blog. She is a quite well known encaustic painter.
This painting, "Wax Fruit (Nectarines)" is 30" x 40". Click on the image for an enlarged view.