A Feeling for a Place



Evening on the Arno, Oil/Cold Wax on panel, 24" X 30"

This piece has been on my painting wall for a week or so, and I knew it needed resolving.  I've spent a few days working on other things, all the while keeping my eye on it. This morning, I walked up to it and without any hesitation, placed some colour areas, drew some marks, and scraped back layers, mostly in the upper quadrants. I think it is complete.  In my mind, I have been remembering Florence, and long walks along the Arno in the autumn. That river seemed to change by the moment - so many images and feelings come to mind now. Perhaps they will appear in more new pieces.

Searching

It's always interesting, and often a surprise, to witness how colours relate to one another. The painting on the left is an accumulation of several layers, applied intuitively, with the simple aim of putting down colour spaces and marks that are interesting and exciting to me.  Next comes the "middle part" of the process: keeping some areas, obliterating others, or maybe altering the orientation. The piece on the right is a composition of some gestural marks that may or may not survive. We'll see what happens.