New: “Mystic” 30 x 24

At a recent show, a gallery visitor commented on one of my pieces, accurately surmising that my work is part reality, part imagination. It was interesting to hear, as I don’t really think much about my process. But the inspiration for a piece begins with encountering a scene that sparks interest, followed by a quick sketch of the elements of interest, and then beginning painting. Once the composition is roughed in (which is based largely on a real setting), other compositional elements, light and color are developed, largely from memory and/or imagined. In this recent piece, “Mystic” 30 x 24, the place is real, the barn is real (it’s just down the road), but much of everything else is somewhat enigmatic, and evolved as the piece was being painted.