New Beginnings

When I first started painting my JAO style figures in the late 1980’s I wanted to make art that was simple, bold and had an immediate emotional impact. Painting live heightened that impact. I made over 400 paintings six feet by six feet, house paint on paper. I traveled to both coasts, painted in parades, festivals and private parties. Then I stopped. Over the years I get the random email asking for figure paintings. I usually say no. I’m exploring other styles. On April 8, day of a total solar eclipse in Aries, I got an email from someone wanting to buy a painting for his son and one for him and his wife. I said yes.

Eclipses are times of major endings and major beginnings. Often what has been hidden will be revealed. Looking deep down inside of myself I found that I want to paint figures in my original style. It feels natural. It is like coming home. I return to the figures with a deeper sensitivity to line and color that I developed doing landscapes. I return with curiosity and wonder. I am interested in how the energy of the line affects the emotion of the image. I like to explore: How can I express a different emotion simply by changing the placement of the eyes or the length and shape of the mouth? How can I play with the thickness of line to strengthen the boldness or bring out the subtleties? How can I play with the translucent layers of paint to create more vibrant colors? How can I communicate the variety and depth of basic human emotions using these simple tools?

And so I paint on. I’ll continue trying to express raw emotion whether I’m painting landscapes or figures.

Please check out my new paintings in the old style and let me know what you think. Here’s to new beginnings. Thanks for reading this blog post. Thanks for being supportive of my work.