I should say up front that every painting is different, and the only plan or set of rules that I follow is: brush, paint, paper, subject (though paper could be optional). Sometimes the process is methodical, working from section to section bringing each part to full development right from the start. Other times it can be more like here, where I jump around a lot. In this particular painting, the subject I'm using (a photograph I took the morning after camping in Sage Creek) is not ideal. It's a spot that has meaning for me and that I wanted to paint when I first glimpsed it. I'm having to do a lot of considering and manipulating in the early stages, and so I did some blocking in of areas to give myself a better visual as I worked out what I plan to do with this one.

An integral part of painting for me is music. Music has always been a part of my life, beginning with my mother, a music teacher, playing piano. Early favorites were Debussy, Mozart, Rossini. I loved waking up saturday mornings to her playing. A fond memory from early childhood is begging her to play the William Tell Overture while I raced around the living room with a pillow as my horse. When I was six, I declared myself ready to play piano in the talent show at school, and so my mom obligingly taught me a song. Lessons started there, and continued through high school. Along the way I picked up recorder (soprano and alto), French Horn, Melophone, and Bagpipes. I still play bagpipes, teaching and leading a band in my town. I also love to sit and play piano at length, in a quiet house. Anyhow, music can trigger some deep responses, much the same way that art can. The two complement each other well, and I paint best when I find a composer, album, or song that fits the story, mood, and pace of what I am working on. The music can allow me to tap into a deeper response to my subject, offering a rich experience that goes way beyond painting a pretty picture. I paint places I love or feel an attachment to, and I liken the experience to painting the portrait of a dear friend. Beyond that, my subjects always have a story, often a very private one, and I keep the words in my head. The story may relate to the subject in an abstract sense, literal, or both. I deem a painting successful if, upon viewing it, I can feel the impact of the story as if I were reliving it. For me, this is the greatest thing in art. The artist has something to say and expresses it. The viewer witnesses this expression and has a response. The two may not match or even relate, yet the impact is there. A conversation happened.


This painting of sage creek has a long way to go yet, but I will post progress along the way even after I'm back home.