Craighead Green Gallery
March 31 - May 5, 2018
A few months ago my wife Cindi, our dog Arlo, and I moved from Dallas back to Austin, where I was fortunate to find a cool studio space right in the heart of the city on South Congress. Most all of the paintings included in this show were created in this studio over the last six months. Before I commenced work on these new paintings in this new space, I decided I wanted to make a bold statement with these pieces to celebrate our arrival and a new beginning of sorts.
All of the paintings are mixed media works combining encaustic, enamel, oil stick, acrylic and collage. As with all of my work, the collage elements are a very important feature and these pieces are no exception which includes both paper and fabric materials that interested in me in terms of their color, pattern and design. I sourced fabrics that had bold, graphically strong imagery and then cut them into different shapes and forms which I repurposed and incorporated those bits of fabric into the works of art.
With these paintings I wanted to create a very physical presence with the collage and encaustic paint combinations, battling each other for dominance on the surface plane by creating a kind of push - pull, no holds barred tension. As well, I wanted to maintain a thread of continuity between the pieces by using recurring motifs and applications. The thick layering of paint renders a perceived spontaneity in a calculated way.
I am very happy to exhibit these new paintings at Craighead Green Gallery which has represented my work since 1999.
