I don't really know how to start with explaining myself. I am pretty contradictory and don't know of any category I can neatly fit myself into. But I still like biographies - reading & writing them - I've been endlessly fascinated by people, by their psyche, what motivates them, their deeper consciousness, potentialities, etc. I like to know what is behind the creative outpouring of the very many wonderful works in galleries, on the Web, in books, etc., and if you are reading this, you maybe are fascinated by biographies, also. :)

I'll start with the simple things... Many people write to me and ask me how I paint, which mediums I use, etc. Most of the paintings here are watercolors. I think a lot of the public has the impression that watercolors = pastel landscapes. When I was first getting a handle on watercolor technique, I used to get a little frustrated while rifling through watercolor books and only finding the same washed-out green & brown hills and trees. There was always something inside of me that wanted something shinier, more vivid and of what is not seen rather than what is. Not to knock artists who are into realism. I really admire the technique, patience and tenacity that many of these amazing people have acquired. I approach strict realism as just study, to help me with the art I really love creating. I agree wholeheartedly with Paul Klee (one of my favorite visual artists) when he said, "Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible." I can be proud of the patience and effort I put into something very realistic, but I am usually not enthralled with the results.

Anyway, the watercolors I use are the Cotman line of Winsor & Newton. I only use tubes, never cakes It's impossible to build up a lot of color or vividness using cakes. I wish I loved cakes instead because it would be so much tinier to store & pack - I'm very "into" streamlining my possessions, which is something I will get to. But - sigh - I will have to adjust.

 


This is me in San Diego at Turquoise Park in Pacific Beach, where I lived for a few years from 1996 to 1998. It was one of my happier days, because my friend Alison was visiting.

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