In the (new)Studio: New Work

I realize its been a long time since I put up some new work here.  It had a bit to do with moving studios back in October, that took me some time to get comfortable.  The first month's work was just scary bad.  But also, its that I've been feeling a little guarded.  Its funny because I think I have gotten really good (or at least a lot better) at hearing criticism and working in front of others, like in this shared space, two things that I was really bad about four or so years ago.  

But right now I'm in the mood to just make things and not know anyone's opinion so as not to subconsciously get involved in the making.  So why put them on your public blog you ask?  I don't know.   I think the urge comes from the fact that it is public so I have to really reflect and try to make some good observations which I may not force myself to do otherwise.  And isn't it like mandatory or something to reflect around December 30th?  

Night Fridge(Leftovers), 2013,  Oil on Panel, 10 x 10

Driving Rain, 2013, Oil on Panel, 24 x 30 

Stars in his Eyes, 2013, Oil on Panel, 12 x 12

Night Whites, 2013, Oil on Panel, 12 x 12

Violets in November, 2013, Oil on Panel, 24 x 24

Not yet titled/finished, 2013, Oil on Panel, 48 x 48

 So these are all since moving into my new studio, really just the last two months.  Because I have so little of my personal stuff acquired I have been pushed to work completely from memory (except for the violets one).  So a new process has come about where I am just putting paint down and make about five different paintings until it starts to resemble something and then I carry it in that direction or push through until something else comes up.  

Turns out a lot of what I have been looking at is occurring in the dark.  This time of year in Philadelphia, half of life seems spent in the dark and in addition I have been up a lot at night, whether driving to work before the sun is up or stewing in the middle of the night.  The way the dark envelopes everything but the brightest lights has been something I keep noticing, and I guess its coming out in my paintings.

I also notice I am still hung up on and pushing forms becoming each other and positive to negative and back again.  In the first picture, the can comes into existence simply because of what is around it, in the third his face goes from solid to sky, in the fourth the box becomes the white atmosphere and then pops back into the foreground, and in the last, my dad's figure on the right is married to the edge of the cabinet, simultaneously placing him inside and outside.  Something about these moments just drives me crazy, I love the way it feels to paint them and to look at them.  

And finally, I seem to be going back to an earlier way of composing my pictures.  Things look like film stills, many arms and parts of a scene.  I think when I work from memory this happens more. I want to see if I can work from life and have a consciousness for composing in this way and see what happens.  But first, I have to accumulate those things in this space, so I'll continue on with these ideas and see what comes up next.

Here's to exploring in 2014.