Works in progress

Here are some slower paintings that are taking an intermission while I move and try to set up a new work space. In this first shot, the work in progress is on the right. I’ve been composing abstract canvases by building up many layers of transparent glazes. These new paintings seem to be about accumulation and time passing, both literally and conceptually. I’m trying to keep visible brush strokes to a minimum and I want the entire surface to have an overall smooth, glossy quality. I enjoy seeing the under layers of color show through subsequent layers of paint and alter the tone and depth of the surface. (The painting on the left is Some Other Ocean, completed back in 2008.)

Below is another example from the accumulation abstractions I’m working on. I originally began piling circles on top of one another in mixed media work, and I am now translating this idea into oil paint. Again, this painting is made up of many transparent glazes. It’s difficult to see in this photo, but this painting also has the texture and brushstrokes from an older, sanded down painting showing through to the surface.

And finally, below is an unfinished diptych I’ve been working on. The portrait side is probably complete. Rather than paint the portrait in one sitting as I usually do, I spent several weeks building up thin layers of glazes. The final layer was a transparent glaze of cobalt blue on the face to correct a too orangey skin tone. The unfinished side is made up of several layers of glaze, and I have plans for this that will just have to wait a while to take shape.