Piano.No1

Acrylic on Plexi
14"x13.75"

Succulent.No.1

Acrylic on Board
4"x4"

In & out

Acrylic on Plexiglass
14"x13.75"

I painted this looking through the living room window when the light inside the house was equal to the light outside the house.
The window compresses all the values together while leaving small points of dark, and light.

XYZ.no.1

Acrylic on Board
4"x4"
NFS

This last year an art critic/Historian named James Elkins lectured as a guest speaker at the U of O. THere were many dissapointed students and teacers for various reasons which have faded away. A year later I came across his acclaimed books in the magnificent Powells bookstore. I picked one up called "What Painting is". His writing is accessable and so are his insights. The premis of the book is to speak about painting throught the language of alchemy the psuedo science. For about a year I have considered painting to have alchemical qualities and am excited that an art historian would approach painting throgh the eyes of an alchemist. So it is apropriate that Mr. Elkins is not what he seemed.

"Water and Stones the unpromising ingredients of two very different edeavors...In Alchemy, the Stone (with a capital S) is the ultimate goal, and one of the purposes of alchemy is to turn something as liquid as water into a substance as firm and unmeltable as stone. As in painting, the means are liquid and the ends are solid. And as in painting, most of Alchemy does not have to do with pure water or pure stone, but mixtures of the two."
(James Elkins)

Yamhill.no.1

Acrylic on Plexiglass
14x13.75
NFS

A painting of The new studio on Yamhill! I need to give a shout out to Taggart and Jenny for so kindly letting me paint in their sun room for the winter. Thankyou. When winter came last year I exclusivley turned to drawing with charcoal on paper. This winter agian I have done away with color. It is hard to say for sure if this is becuase of the season (seceretly I think it is). During the winter time I make reductive decisions. Spaces that I paint are internal ones. Naturally it is a time to hibernate. However this does not mean it is a time to be lazy. There is a lot of work to be done. Mostly with trimming away excess habits, and patterns and laying the foundation for a new path. For me Winter is the time for building a foundation. Ideally only traces from the last series of paintings should linger. Upon reflection during fall I became lost, and confused enough about painting that I can finally continue again with a new project.
I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. (chinese proverb)