PAINTING 2003: Investigation of Minimalist and Constructivist ideas continues. Also working through historical definitions of Minimalism and Color Field concepts and applications to painting. Interest in simplifying composition continues. Reorienting my sympathy and empathy toward Minimalist and Color Field thought - ideas and action returning to Color field end of AE; Rothko and Motherwell becoming strong influences once again. But Twombly and Tapies are still very strong.
Also looking at: (Willem de Looper, Bernd Haussmann, Caio Fonseca, Charles Arnoldi, Chillida, Felim Egan, Gary Komarin, James Brooks, John Cage, Norman Bluhm, Robert Yoder, Steve Seinberg, Dusty Griffith, Gerhardt Richter, *Richard Tuttle, Callum Innes, Greg Bogin, Monique Prieto, Peter Halley and Sophie Smallhorn)--- all for the first time. As of this writing/revision [07.18.04], *Richard Tuttle seems to be the strongest in terms of total connections between idea and painting; a strong relationship between the internal and the external.

Like 2002, Big focus in 2003 asking questions about what my painting is. Non Painting time --February and March; October thru December.

Fall - Winter 2003: … working Color Field ideas in Painting. Exploring AE and geometry, and some form of mathematical involvement. Minimalism is an area not fully explored before. I have danced around this issue but never made a commitment. After some investigation, I am still not completely sold on the Minimalist position for painting. I will continue to appropriate from Minimalism what interests me to see if it will work to change future painting.

As a strategy to help my research and practice, I now use a digital camera and computer to solve composition issues. Digital painting has become a major tool for creating and completing paintings on canvas and paper.

Notes for images below: From 1987- 1995 I worked on a set of projects focused on texture, geometry and AE Color Field. I am revisiting this program; updating ideas and application.

2003 short history: a) mid-February completed 2002-03 evaluation, b) mid-Feb-to-mid-March 2003 special paper project, c) mid-March 2003 to mid-October 2003 work on canvas resumes, and d) Mid-October thru December 2003 evaluation2.

Gold Box on a Red Line (#7) is the only painting derived directly from a paper. (#5) is a direct realization. (#6, #8, #10, #11 & #12) are reworks of 2002 canvases -- an updating and fusing process; merging the old with the new.

Selected images are connected to the Image Viewer.