RGB
Oil on canvas
Sometimes I have to clear my head while in the studio. Working on a representational painting requires a certain amount of discipline and concentration.
I a not a strict representational painter, rather I take elements in real life and arrange them in what I hope is a pleasing and cohesive work. I follow the rules so far, stretch the rules where it pleases me.Working abstractly, you still have rules to follow, and rules to break. But you have to know the rules before you can break them.
In jazz music, you must first be a musician that knows the rules before you know which rues you can break. Otherwise you end up with a cacophony of noise. It is the same with abstract painting.
Composition, color theory, all are important. Only when these guides are second nature can you break free of “thinking” and paint abstractly.
When life becomes overwhelming almost to distraction, I need to break free of the rational mind and just paint. These paintings are for nobody but me, a form of therapy and catharsis. The only necessity is that the finished painting is pleasing to my eye.