Black and White


In an effort to simplify my painting process, making the recording process more direct, while using traditional painting tools, I eliminated all colours but one. I also chose to work on untreated stretched canvas. 












The process is very quick but without gesture and may have come from the silouettes I had been working with.







I worked in the garden and the woods close at hand and even finally ventured out onto the land recording objects and sights that caught my eye. 






First came the ferns followed by narcissus and peonies complete with all the ants working away. Lilies are starting now as summer is really in full swing so there is a lot of painting to do. 












Shapes and patterns weave together as visual noise until the artist/viewer takes the time to sort the lines and discover patterns that were there all along.



Then there are the surprises. In this case our neighbour popped his head up at the roof of his home across the road. He was making alterations for a new roof and was in the picture plane for a moment. 

I added him in which changed the dynamic of the work completely. I think I will do a future post about surprises in paintings.

Derivative Speculations continues this work.