When Paintings Go Wild

I fell in love with working with transparent layers very early in my art career, almost 18 years ago. While covering paint enhanced the opportunity for creating luscious texture, it was the ability to look deep inside the layers and see what was left behind that excited me. Since then, I have been constantly pushing the limits of working with both transparent and opaque pigments.

The artists newest painting, “Save Room For Cake”, in the early stages of the composition.

It’s not easy. Working this way requires a knowledge of pigments and paint mixing techniques. I would also add that there is probably an enhanced awareness of composition that is needed as well: where to place the transparency and how transparent to make it. I consider all of these topics while painting.

A “calm” area of the painting allows the viewer time to rest their eye while moving through the composition. My earlier works contain this rest area with very little transparency. Over the years, I have been pushing myself to make that element more complex. Learning how to "calm” areas of clutter in a composition is a valuable skill to have.

I am trusting myself and my process now more and more. Considering that the texture, the pigments, the composition and everything that I place into a painting can indeed work together, I am having a great time.

I hope that you enjoy this new painting (I think it is very happy) as much as I do. I find myself marveling at the texture and looking into the layers several times a day.

If you would like to learn my techniques for mixing harmonious color, including layering with opacity and transparency, please check out my “Expanding on Color” workshop. If you are interested in adding to these skills with a deeper dive into techniques and composition, consider joining me in “The Abstracting Workshop”. Both workshops are open now with daily instructor support.