Early studies of how lines create forms in space.
"That which is most personal is universal." —Carl Rogers
In search of an authentic, refined abstract style, these drawings began as clouds of lines like fingerprints. As shapes emerged, they divided into forms in space that seem to float in the center of the page.
Ballpoint pen was chosen for its fine line quality that holds the caressing motion of sketching. The goal for these delicate, rhythmic gestures was to find subject matter in the quiet wisdom of the inner voice. As the motif developed, ideas flowed that resonated with life-themes that became short, poetic titles. The viewer is encouraged to reflect on the images to see what they see.
Dreamscapes
"A good painting is a novel, not just a scene, authored primarily by the viewers not the painter." —Diderot
In the poetic world of art, we find places to reflect, imagine, and feel. From happy to sad, jealous, regretful, wanting and blessed, we connect with similar experiences. Abstract art expresses rather than illustrates. It can be understood without words. Colors, shapes, and paint touch us through harmony, rhythm and texture.
Imagination is a superpower. To hold an essence in the mind's eye is the beginning of invention and thought. Becoming familiar with the inner self who looks at the 'self' is an exercise in corresponding with the inner seed that is building us.
Psychoanalyst C.G. Jung believed that myths and dreams were expressions of a collective unconscious that convey core ideas that are consistent through the human species as a whole. However, there is a danger of going into these inner worlds, as Greek myth warns, from Prometheus to the Minotaur – and a potential goldmine for an artist.
These paintings were each made on a journey into abstraction without interpreting a meaning, similar to making a dream. Perspective lines set the stage and are then animated by scribbles and dashing flourishes. Looking into the tangle of lines, certain of them become more prominent, others are erased. Staying abstract frees the imagination, as faces, eyes and recognizable objects trap the imagery.
Titles relate thoughts the artist had in the process. Recurring themes seem to be basic human issues: hope, fear, searching, striving, love, loss, life, death, God. Interpretation is a fun part of looking at these works as it releases the inner poet.
Feeling the colors and riding the lines through the composition is the heart of abstract art. There is no need to translate the experience into words.
Abstract Landscapes
"You need a chair to see a painting" —Klee
Abstract Landscapes are windows into worlds where dreams can play. Some are fluid and rounded, while others pulse with rhythmic lines that dance through the air. Cathedrals of light to crystalline mountains, these romantic landscapes exist where heaven & earth meet.
The magical illusion of depth creates a playground for the eye to explore. Using free-form geometry, shifting perspectives can appear and vanish—adding a temporal dimension. Foreground and background weave together in a glittering interplay of opalescence and translucency. As shapes interact, the paths of individual lines change from building a form to connecting to the compositional grid. Seeming to fly through dimensions, the flat surface transcends into inventive structures.
Surface is as important as the image. Paint textures become subject matter in their own right through layers of dry-brush, expressive scraping, transparent glazes, and energetic brushwork. Color combinations communicate in a language of sensation, harmonies and creativity.
Like gazing into a crystal, facets of light pave the way through an enchanted realm.
One Liners
"A drawing is taking a dot for a walk." —Klee
Watching a line fly through space is seductive. Dragging it through the mud of many layers of color ... exhilarating.
These one-line drawings evolved from the early form-studies that hover in the middle of a page. Seeing the line become animated makes it a dynamic shorthand for abstract figures. This practice merges abstract expressionism with surrealist automatic-writing. Drawing these melodic gestures into layers of thick paint began in 2020 as Labyrinths.
Preparing the surface is a long, involved process. Colors combinations are chosen and mixed to complement and harmonize. Each layer needs to be a different viscosity to ensure that the colors don't mix. Finally, the textured surface awaits its gesture.
Drawing the line is a sacred event. The mind must be cleared to wait for the energy. As we make dreams, the line flows. If the resulting piece is not acceptable, the surface is prepared again in search of the perfectly imperfect line. Hearts and moons are a bit more planned but always spontaneous.
Follow the line like a roller coaster or see the whole as a figure. Titles are not definitions. Turn them to whatever orientation speaks to you, and rename them often.
I began this book in September and it was released December 1st.
On the virtues of this presentation, I gained representation by Upsilon Gallery, on 67th Street at Madison Avenue, NYC.