Painting

My paintings are done almost exclusively from life, and are constantly changing. Paint is the most fluid and dexterous of mediums and the way I react to it and it reacts to me seems to be constantly in flux. That said it is with paint that I feel the greatest burden of communicating reality. The pressure of representing not a place or thing per say, but the experience of seeing it, is a great challenge which could truly last a lifetime. For the moment all I can say is that I feel at times compelled to try and paint what I see around me, and what the feeling that vision conveys. It is a type of transcription.

My feelings about painting vary constantly, and are highly dependent on what I am working on at any given time. It is in my opinion the most difficult medium that I work with. The number of variables that one must consider when painting in oils is truly daunting, from the standpoint of materials, what to add when, and how will one thing will affect everything that goes after it are constantly running through my mind as I work. Above all else is: does it look good? The judgment and critical evaluation are intense. But the satisfaction that comes with doing something well, or of learning a new thing, or of simply doing better than you have been able to before can bring sunshine into the gloomiest heart. Striving for mastery is a worthwhile objective, for while it may not be a material good to be held, or bought, or sold, it is a road to follow, and a guide forward when things seem unclear.