Abstract Sketches

Most of the pieces I've produced in the past five years have been abstract representations of the human form. Although the results varied, my process has been similar in each of my paintings. I painted from a model posed on a model stand, I quickly devised color and composition strategies and I leapt into the process. I moved quickly and confidently and the piece came together fast. However in the past couple months I have been exploring something a little different. I have been creating many, many spontaneous abstract studies created from exploring with materials, approaches and mark making under the guidance of Julia Ricketts and Olivia Britt at Gage Academy in Seattle. This seems like an important stage in my development. I have gotten past a certain level of frustration around mixing color so I feel more agile and free to express myself. As technique becomes less of a focus, the spirit of what I want to convey has a stronger pull. To that end I am exploring new and old materials. Some are traditional art materials like paint, glue and paper. Others are more random: contact paper, duct tape, office supplies, crushed egg shells -- in the midst of these explorations nothing escapes my grasp. I am also experimenting with different approaches that abstract artists have employed in their work by trying them out for myself. I've played with loose, spontaneous marks like the ones found in Mark Tobey's work and also taken a more calculated (literally) systematic approach like that of Sol LeWit. Here are just a few of the sketches that I have created. I'm working on a couple pieces (not shown here) that I hope will become successful paintings. No matter what the result, I will post them here.