Studio View

My studio is a relatively small, but private, space in a building that devotes 4 floors to artists.  The immediate surrounding area is still predominantly low rise industrial structures with few stores or restaurants lending a quietness and lack of distractions which I find very conducive.  As a minamalist working from reality, my subject matter includes anything in my experience that impacts me in some way and asks to be recorded.  Usually a series of photos of the intended subject will begin the process.  After studying the photos, choices are made or maybe just a detail and then a series of postcard size pastel studies are done.  From those studies I determine which, if any, may become larger works either as singles or series. 

The preferred media is acrylic mixed with a transparent medium on gessoed Stonehenge paper and second media is soft pastel on same paper.  Another medium I find interesting is watercolor pencil mixed with soft pastel.  The size range of my work is 4 x 6 for studies, 9 x 12 for watercolor pencil, 22 or 24 x 30 for large paintings or pastels.

Other practices:  During Covid I began making monoprint collages.  This process is almost a primitive approach because it requires no technical materials or press.  I enjoy working in this very simple manner and have created a fairly good body of these prints.  The process involves using waxed paper to apply paint colors to a panel, pressing and pulling by hand.  Then collaging the dried colored pieces of wax paper onto the printed color panel.  

Mini books:  I began to create mini books after a workshop in Italy.  It is a very free form process that allows for total spontaneous immersion.  There are a dozen in my collection to date. It is something I pursue when I am feeling like creating but not involved in a specific project.