Second Half of 2021

In the second half of 2021, I produced many paintings, which became more abstract and more message-oriented over time. I also played and doodled, used new colors, and tried new techniques, such as collage and stenciling. I learned some valuable lessons, and had a lot of fun. I really like to keep landscape elements in my paintings, and if they get so abstract or patterned that I lose those, then I'm not happy with the result.

In the summer, I painted some abstract landscapes with darling artistic granddaughter Maddie, while experimenting with odd colors I found in my art supplies:

Weeks later I kept painting on the second one, and as it became "Nightfall on Epsilon 3":

I also did doodles with the Kee kids, trying stipling with different stencils and adding lots of layers:

Some more seaside paintings ended up being about kelp deforestation, although trying to keep the message subtle may have hidden it too much. In the second one below, I tried odd colors again and collaged on bits of newspaper articles about environmental issues.

The oil spill into the sea off of Orange County in October 2021, which threatened the beaches and the ecological reserves, inspired some Edge paintings:

While I continued to tear up some paintings and collage them back together, I decided with "Remembrance 4" about endangered species that I liked it too much to tear up, so I printed a photo of it and tore that up, resulting in "Remembrance 6." I liked that well enough to try to replicate it in a painting, "Remembrance 7." And here's where I lost the landscape elements and am undecided about these two. Compare the two versions below. What do you think? Will I continue on this track or branch off again? Doesn't really matter, because I have really enjoyed making all of these paintings and THAT is the whole point!

Smaller versus Bigger Paintings

Lately I've been painting mostly on quarter sheets (11 x 15), and when I make something I like, I try to recreate it in a bigger format (16 x 20 or 18 x 24). The second, bigger version almost never looks as good as the original, smaller one. WHY IS THAT? I can't seem to figure it out. It also works in reverse, where I do a large painting that lacks something or other, so I tear it up and collage it into a smaller version. Then it almost always looks better than the original. Why is THAT? For example, "The Edge 1" is 16 x 20 and "The Edge 2" only 12 x 9, and the smaller one is definitely an improvement.

The Edge 1

The Edge 2

First Half of 2021

That Was So Much Fun I Did It Again

Took another unloved painting, cut it up, painted and drew with ink and collaged on the pieces, then put them together into a triptych.

Maybe I'm getting carried away........

Another Painting Metamorphosis

 Took a painting from 2020 that I never liked much and cut it into thirds. Began painting on one of the pieces, intending to make three totally different paintings out of them. As I blithely painted and collaged, it occurred to me to make a triptych, something I've never done. So on with the painting and collaging for hours, and then I got stuck on how to arrange the resulting creations. I need help! Which of these four possible arrangements would make the most effective piece of art???

I started with an arrangement that closely resembled the original piece, only with more stuff on it:

Red Head Guitarist 1

That seemed a little dull, so I offset one of the pieces:

Red Head Guitarist 2

Still playing around with them, I tried this: 

Red Head Guitarist 3

And then I got carried away:

Red Head Guitarist 4

NOW WHAT????