in the studio
It's now over three weeks since I got home from Ireland, and I'm starting to see some new directions unfolding in the studio. The saturate color of the rainy, misty countryside that surrounded the Tyrone Guthire Cenre, and the textures of rough stone, lichens and megalithic carvings are exerting an influence.

I've been experimenting with layers of colors that do not initially seem compatible, but through glazing and the use of neutrals arrive at complexity and depth. To enhance texture, I've been allowing some of my initial layers to set up longer before going back over them, and using additives like sand and powdered marble. All of this is leading to tactile and richly colored surfaces that resonate with my memories of Ireland.

Although at times my attempts to express such a complex experience seem like grasping at dream memories--elusive and fragmented--I'm pleased to see an essence of those days in Ireland beginning to emerge.

I'm working on a series of small paintings that work well for these experiments. (Slieve, above, is one of these--10"x8.") I also have a number of larger paintings in progress, some of which are visible in this studio shot.

  ¶ 5:07 PM