First Post

I'm lucky to have this kind of inspiration to look at from my porch. The sky was filled with unusual clouds today that reminded me of Navajo weaving patterns - triangular with jagged edges.

The buildings are the small Great Barrington airport and the runway and surrounding cornfields are what give me the luxury of an unbroken view and exceptional light.

While I don't sit down with a photo and try to "capture" a scene from nature, I do draw inspiration from the extraordinary colors, patterns, and textures that make up my surroundings. When I paint I start with no plan, pick a few paint tube colors and let things evolve. My subconscious has registered a great deal of visual information and often the painting takes on the life of where I've been recently or the seasonal changes in color and density that happen every year.

My blog title describes my surprise every time I paint at how many colors can be made with mixing, layering, glazing and thinning. I like to break rules and combine colors that are both warm and cold, rich and acidic, transparent and opaque.

I mainly use gouache on rag mat board or heavy printing paper but technically, my paintings are mixed water media as I use combinations of gouache, casein, watercolor and occasionally gel medium or white fluid acrylic for texture. Sometimes I use frottage (fancy name for blotting) or shallow incised marks (my favorite tool is a lobster pick) and that's why I like mat board because it can take a great deal of abuse.

I favor scraping tools over brushes - they help me stay abstract - symbolic - rather than too small or detailed - I try to involve the observer as much as possible by leaving my paintings open ended. The more detail and realism - the less involvement for the person looking at the work.

I love ambiguity and the possibility that people will "enter" the painting and inhabit it in very different ways. I think the more possibilities a painting presents, the more staying power it will have - the longer it  has the possibility to engage you.

This is a photo of a recent painting - Landscape 118 which is 7''x3.75". I like the bluish lavender sky and that is my color for the day.

This painting, along with several others will be available for sale in a show of small works at the Sanford Smith Gallery on Railroad Street in Great Barrington, Ma starting a week before Thanksgiving and continuing thru the holidays.




Always feel free to contact me - I'm always working in my studio at home on Seekonk Cross Road and welcome comments, emails and the occasional, informal studio visit.


Holly