Detail of "Sunset Explosion" 12x16" oil on gallery wrapped canvas

 Up until the past year I have painted primarily with acrylics.  I only started exploring oil paint very recently.

 What has stood out for me with oil paint is how rich the colors are, and how thick the application of paint can get when colors are layered on top of one another.

Color can be applied in layers of thick paint without the color underneath influencing or changing the color on top, unlike with acrylic paint.

When I first picked up a palette knife, I was amazing at the textures that could be created.  Being strategic in the placement and direction of the palette knife strokes can create really cool effects that give the painting an almost sculptural look!

When the light catches the canvas at the right angle, the painting transforms into a display of interesting textures.  Glare is often a problem with paintings, but the palette knife solves it by making what was once an annoying issue into something interesting and fun to look at.

I'm excited to continue to create and explore with the palette knife, and share my discoveries with you!

You know when sometimes there are these quick, fleeting moments that you have to be at just the right time and place for?

Little synchronicities that make us feel like we are on the right track, that we must be doing something right.  Like when you happen to look up just as a hummingbird whizzes by, and it stops to hover right in front of your face.  The light hits it just right, allowing you to catch a glimpse of it's shiny iridescent feathers, taking your breath away as you reflect on how special your day feels now.

I love those moments!

Or when someone tells you to look outside because the current sunset is amazing, so you drop everything you're doing and run outside just in time to catch the sun twinkling through little patches of the clouds like glitter before it disappears past the horizon.  You rejoice at the display of bright colors against the evening sky that makes your day feel complete and more special.

It's these moments that I like to capture on to the canvas.

 There's something that I discovered within the last year that is now a major part of my process... a bright, vibrant underpainting!

 An underpainting is a version of the painting made in all one color; a monochromatic depiction that acts like a template for where all of the elements of the composition will go.  It is great for working out all of the kinks of the composition before adding a top layer of paint.
 
The underpainting is the foundation on which the painting is built.  Having a solid underpainting is like having a strong foundation for a house, it allows everything to fit into place.
 
Some artists like to paint more freestyle, but even freestyle paintings can benefit from an underpainting.  Since discovering the benefits, I have found myself even more free because it lays down the ground work to not have to constantly question what I'm doing as I am painting.  The foundation is there, allowing for faster and more confident execution of the main top layer.
 
My secret is that I like to paint underpaintings with a very vibrant color.  This makes the colors on top vibrate and sing!  It adds a depth to the layers of color that wouldn't happen with black and white, or just painting straight on to the white canvas. 

It's so fun to experiment with the different base colors, and how they compliment or contrast with the top layers. 

 I used to never paint an underpainting, and now I can't imagine not using one anymore! 

Paintings from the "Colors Of The Sky" collection

Nature is such a major refuge.  Being outdoors is so vital to our well being, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  It checks all of the boxes.....after all, it is where we come from!  Sometimes it seems like we can forget this, as our day to day societal lives disconnect us further and further from this fact.

Many of us live in cities, or suburbs of cities, and with the pandemic taking hold, we are likely forced to be sequestered inside of our homes more then we would like to be.  Maybe we can take a camping trip, but our work from home jobs require internet access.  Maybe we have kids and also have to juggle home schooling them.  Sometimes getting outdoors is just a lot of work!  Even if there wasn't a pandemic, our lives are often so busy that we may not always have the time to get outside as often as we would like.

I live in the city, but I'm lucky enough to have a backyard garden as refuge.  This helps me stay connected, to have close interactions with the plants, the bees, and the hummingbirds.  Sometimes I can hear the cry of a hawk in the distance.

I love to paint this connection that I feel.  When I experience something that captivates me in nature, like how the light shines through a leaf, turning it a vibrant yellow green, or when the clouds put on a show of rippling cascades of color, I immediately think to myself that I want to paint it.

The act of painting these experiences and emotions captures the essence of a fleeting moment, and solidifies it into a tangible object that can be experienced  over again.  But unlike a photo, the painting holds the emotion of the moment, and can communicate the more subtle energies and impressions of that experience, through the lens of the human eye and heart.  When our hearts sync, we can relate to each other in such a profound way. 

Painting brings me closer to nature, because it is my offering of giving back to the gift that keeps on giving.  It is my way of honoring the life that sustains us, that is us.  It is like an altar piece to meditate on, to remember that connection and keep it close. 
I can give that same offering with my artwork to others who seek to remain close to that same connection, even if they can't get outside as often as they would like.