new paintings
These are Column #13 and #14 in my ongoing series, and are 89"x12" and 86"x12" respectively. They are the paintings that rode out to NM in the back of my van last week.

Since my art brain doesn't generally come up with long-term projects or goals for "x' number of paintings with a particular focus, it surprises me to have carried on the Column Series for so long. This was not something I planned when the idea first evolved over three years ago. Since this is the only series I've ever sustained for more than a couple of paintings, I really don't know how long I'll stay with it, but for now the format still intrigues me.

It's a more direct approach to arranging panels than my other, more complex and often asymmetrical approaches. Within the basic simplicity of one panel above another, the challenge is to find tension and balance in juggling all the art elements in play--light and dark values, quiet and active textures, neutrals and strong colors. I want each Column to be an individual, able to stand alone with an atmosphere and presence of its own. At the same time, because I tend to create them in groups of two or three at once, there's often a unified feeling within each group, the result of working back and forth (and often trading panels) between them.

In their final stage, all the panels for each Column are mounted together on a cradle of ash boards that "floats" the painting out from the wall. Coating the sides with flat white gesso is the finishing touch.  ¶ 10:03 PM