I've been feeling a lot of energy and freedom in the studio lately--perhaps from watching so many other people applying paint and wax in my workshops. Their countless ways of approaching color and mark-making make me aware of my own need to keep open, keep exploring.

In my most recent work--in progress for for my February exhibit at Circa Gallery in Minneapolis--my palette is shifting away from the very earthy colors of my last show in Santa Fe. That one was all about my residency in a remote area of the Pyrenees, and the year's work that came out of it, so earthiness made perfect sense. The colors also seemed really appropriate for setting of the show, an old adobe building that houses Darnell Fine Art.

Circa, on the other hand, is a big, modern, wide open space, and I sense that I need to command that space with stronger color. No photos yet, though I hope to have some soon. I suspect I'll tone down the color somewhat in the final stages, since subtlety remains important to me. But in several paintings that I'm working on, the color intensity is still holding up after many layers.

I also have several going that are quite the opposite--light, ethereal panels. So I think it will make an interesting mix.

The small painting above is not one of the new ones--it's from a few months ago, but it illustrates the kind of gestural line I've been exploring, in addition to stronger color...Flux, 12"x12" oil and wax on panel.  ¶ 12:19 PM