Wellness

This is a palette knife painting. No brushes were used in the creation of this image. A small brush was only used after the painting was done in order to add the words and my signature. This painting is too large to scan in its entirety, so the first image is a digital photo. The detailed scans below offer the most accurate glimpse of this vibrant original painting.

I enjoyed creating this painting so much! These abstract expressionist pieces are like rewards that I grant myself after completing squinty detailed pieces that give me headaches. This stuff is pure joy. I hope they are as much fun to view as they were to make. Wellness is one of a series of paintings that I have been working on for the past year. My "Four Corners Series" are all emotional, vibrant, expressionist paintings that contain words in each of their corners. Each piece has a different feel and the words are unique as well. I have come to think of these pieces as visual prayers for a happy balanced future. Wellness contains the words, "Passion, Hope, Devotion, Respect". These "stripey" ones are the newest manifestation of this series. They remind me of Guatemalan weavings.

This painting was created in layers. First, the canvas was primed with black acrylic gesso. Next, it was painted with blues and greens. Once that underpainting dried, I used art knives to apply paint from my palette to the canvas. I pulled the knives carefully across the surface in order to spread the paint without smearing it or allowing it to blend too much with the paint around/below it. It is a tricky process that easily becomes muddy. My primary concern when composing one of these pieces is developing relationships between the colors and maintaining a balance of hues, lines, etc. I pay very careful attention to the widths of the "ribbons" of paint and to the order in which they are applied.

ORIGINAL ARTWORK

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