1)Late 1987— Began a painting project linked to traditional AE (Abstract Expressionism); especially automatism. I did not want to revisit the ideas of the 60's. Most likely this would lead to a parody of the old. I decided not to use brushes and line as tools; Scraping and trowling seemed logical. Examining small pieces of scrap paper used to clean brushes and painting knives at the end of a painting session stimulated a beginning. Palette knives, taping knives, cardboard, or similar tools were used. In retrospect I call this—
phase one non-gestural expressionism  1987-1991.


2)    In the spring of 1992 I moved from Old Saybrook, Ct to Charlotte, NC. It took a year to locate a suitable house/studio arrangement. Therefore I did not execute any canvases during this period.
When my new studio was finally ready around Thanksgiving in 1993, I resumed this project working mostly on paper and a few canvases in oil and acrylic. I label this phase two non-gestural expressionism  1993-1995. Major player here was no texture and thin paint layers.



3)    The project was placed on hold in late 1997. I spent almost all of 1995 to/thru 1997 exploring the digital side of my art - images digital. PLEASE NOTE: This page is FINALLY up and running on Friday, August 09, 2002 12:33:14 PM: Images and discussion presented. It has taken me over a year to pay attention and finish this page!!!!! Sorry.






4)    I had a solo show of digital works and related paintings at Kothe Howard in Charlotte, and frankly, didn't like what I saw in the canvases. As a result, In late1997 I abandoned the digital canvases completely and also lost interest in the scraping tool concept. I re-evaluated my approach and abandoned the scraping tools too. I returned to using brushes. Working methods also changed as I sped up the painting process, often completeing a large painting in one session… much like one would work in the watercolor process. If a painting did not work as I liked, I simply took the canvas off the stretcher and replaced with a fresh primed material and did it again. I was more interested in a direct establishment of the idea with as little overpainting as possible; no overpainting would be ideal.

I call this phase three gestural expressionism  1997-2001. 5)    Red-Brown-Blue (illustrated here) is not typical of the work currently in process. It represents a glimpse into where the image seems to be going. The high energy required for the program discussed in item #4 above is very difficult to sustain for long periods. For me, cycles of quiet are required to renew ideas and energy. My history reflects this pendulum. I work here for awhile -- get tired, bored -- go there for awhile. I am, at the moment, going there for awhile. The way I work, I could be here tomorrow. This is what makes painting exciting for me.
New Work 2002:  images 2002-w-viewer.




6)    Late September 2002 - March 2003:  Analysis of work and ideas covering 1999-2003. Several issues surfaced: 1) Lost interest in gesture automatism specifically and automatism in general. This muse has left the building! Resolve: Restart, reconnect or close the Program. 2) Enter: Mysterious obsession with boxes and cubes, also geometry. Include flat color areas and textured surfaces and line. Also incorporate intellectual construction. 3) Merge a play-off connecting gesture (the old) and controlled form structure (the new).
I call this Trolling the Chaos - A New Beginning -- Canvas 2003.



7)2004-2005:  I find myself still truckin' in the studio. I am now very aware at how slow I work now. No work on paper. Computer imaging seems to have replaced painting on paper as a studio process. Also internet research looking at painters and sculptors that are new to me.
Continuing to ask questions. I don't know if it is important if we as makers like what we do or not, so long as what is forming in the art is natural as process and progression. Often I think that process is more important than the painting. To me a painting is documentation of process.
Image developent throughout the year focused upon reduction and simplification. In the end, December 2006, geometry playing an important role.
1) Found colors. I scour the local paint stores looking for interesting colors* in their ooooops section, 2) simple shape vs complex shape, 3) hard vs soft edges, 4)*comic book colors that are bright and work against each other from a found adlib decision [Automatisim in action], and 5) compositions fashioned from virtual digital images - are some concepts explored.
Canvas 2004-2005:  Truckin' on - Canvases 2004-2005.

8)2006:I am exploring an invented science of color and form using automatism and chance to objectify the unknown as related to emotion, vision, sound and ambient surroundings. Initial structure is invented on the computer— subjected to modifications— then scaled to a related stretcher size and painted on canvas. This project explores concepts of simplicity, flatness, color, shape and relates this stuff to you, you and it, me, me and it, you and I ——.
All of what was going on in 2004-05 still at work.
I call this New Definitions — Canvas 2006.



9)2007:I continue to define my paintings as working spaces. The process of Automatism is alive and at work.
Through dialectic analysis I lay out the pieces of what I do on a mental table. I use my entire history of stuff to do this. I also appropriate additional stuff from other painting movements and painters as well. I wish this experience could be more real than it is. At least it exists in my mind. I then take a piece here, a piece there, make some arrangements on the computer, remove a peice here, remove a piece there, add here, add there, and so on. Eventually I arrive at an arrangement that I like. I Make a painting that I feel fits this working space.

Approach 01: pouring thin paints. mix of oops and Guerra dispersions in Liq mat med for first coatings.

Approach 02: Do not fall in love with what happened during painting session. Next painting session be prepared to paint-out (paint-over) what is there.

Approach 03: Determine how many painting sessions will be used to complete a piece. This determination can be decided in advance of first session, or determined after first session completed.

Approach 04: Let automatism be the primary guide during the process. Making moves decided according to first hunches— the idea first in head becomes the making idea for that moment. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

Approach 05: Color; go with basic instincts and automatism for color choices.