Splatter and 3D

Every time I sit down and try to start a new painting, I continually try to think of new and inventive ways of putting the paint to the canvas.  The first time I tried to do a Pollock-esque painting, I came up with my own individual splatter techniques.  I start with a solid color background, and then basically just continually try and create a composition.  The boldness of the colors and the composition is what makes the painting.  This I found to be quite fulfilling, as I never knew what the end result would be. 

"Untitled"

Eventually, I wanted something more challenging, and decided to try my hand at 3D works of art.  I start with a blank canvas, and rather than applying paint right away, I work with a clay substance called Sculpty Mold and put down a foundation of trees, mountains, streams, etc.  This proved to be quite tedious and time consuming, as the clay was the same color as the canvas.  So not only did I have to find again the sculptures that I made, but had to feel them before I painted them.  I would then go in and put background color on, usually a sky or any type of water (if the landscape required).  Then I'd go in and create the mountain, which the clay itself helps it to look like actual rock.  I surround a lot of this with dark color, which makes the color in the forefront pop, giving it more of a 3D effect. 

"Moonlit Mountain Pass" - 3D Sculpted Art

Currently, I have several of these paintings, one is for sale at Artistic Expressions in Wisconsin Dells, WI.  The others are in my archive collection, and unless they currently exist, I'm only doing these on a commissioned basis.  These two techniques totally help me to stay creative, be constantly challenged, and strive for a better quality in my art.  The end result is always amazing to me, and I can't wait to see how this gets incorporated into future paintings.