Man in the Moon

I don't know why it is, but I'm constantly being attracted to moonscapes.  I think it has something to do with the muted light, being able to see contrast, and the serenity of the pieces themselves.  They have been extremely popular, whether they're in a gallery, an art show, or online.  I think one of the main things that has attracted me to these paintings is the nighttime wildlife.  I can picture an owl hooting outside a barn, or a coyote pup running under the moonlight.  The magnetic draw of the moon casts an eerie, mystic quality over a landscape.  This is what I attempt to capture on canvas.  The phrase "once in a blue moon," "moonlight serenade," and "moonstruck" always come to mind when trying to capture the moon's essence.  I could get lost in the creation of moonscapes for hours on end.  It seems like the process is never ending, and I have to force myself to stop without over painting the canvas.  Are there any references to the moon that brings out a feeling in you?

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. 

Getting Started

One of the hardest things for me as an artist is similar to a writer staring at the first blank page.  Generally, I have an idea of what I want to create in my mind's eye, but more times than not, the painting takes on a life of its own, and I basically fill in the blanks.  During the process, I have to keep tabs on where my colors are.  I mix my own colors, and only buy the primary colors, which are red, blue, and yellow.  Not being able to see these, I keep them in a very orderly fashion in my studio.  Many times (more than I want to count), I've mixed the wrong color and came up with a "happy accident," which could consist of a purple tree or water that is not as blue as the Bahamas. 

It isn't unusual for me to be working on several canvases at the same time.  When an idea pops into my head, I like to get as much done as possible, then continually come back to it and refine the painting.  I have been called very prolific and eclectic when it comes to my work.  It may take me several weeks to several months to complete a project that I started in this way.  It mostly depends on the content of the painting. 

Over the years, I have been my own worst enemy in overworking some of my art.  Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing how to start.  The completed work usually speaks for itself.  I am my own worst critic when it comes to knowing when the piece is finished.  It's not unusual for me to place a finished piece in my drying rack for several months, then learn a new technique, and then go back and rework a finished painting.  The abstracts obviously are the easiest, but I work really hard on their composition.  The florals seem to come relatively easy to me, and I have been told they look like Van Gogh rip offs.  The landscapes are the most detailed and take the longest, but in the end are the most fulfilling for me as an artist.  It never ceases to amaze me seeing all my works at a show and thinking, "wow, I created that," especially knowing how they got started.

The Process

After any showing or art venue, the question I'm asked most often is: "Okay, you're legally blind, how do you do this?"  I first start off by explaining my vision loss, which is my entire central vision.  It's skews color and depth perception.  I do have peripheral vision, which is lacking the acuity so I substitute that with contrast.  I try to focus on quadrants of the canvas, rotating in a clockwise position, working very close to the canvas until the picture is completed.  Many times I try to mix my own colors, and I come up with what I call "happy accidents."  It's not unheard of for one of my landscapes to contain purple trees. 
Depending on the size of the painting, and whether its a landscape, abstract or floral, it can take up to 8 weeks to complete a painting.  Many of the landscapes, I will go back to several times before they are totally finished. 

In  many cases, I can have up to three different paintings at the same time.  One can be a simple abstract (in which I focus on composition), a more intricate landscape, and a fun floral.  Depending on my mood, I can spend as much as three hours on each painting during each session.  I don't necessarily stick to these three genres, as my commissioned work has included animals, themes from music CDs, etc.  In other words, I change things up all the time.  It's never a dull moment when painting.