"Push and Pull" is acrylic on wood, quite large at 45x96".  This piece was requested for a large open work space after I completed my recent work, "Citrus."  The layering of circles in this technique builds up a very dynamic surface.  While there's a great deal of energy and movement, keeping the palette soft and the grid parallel to the frame lends stability and quietness.  I enjoyed how differently the paint interacted with the wood verses canvas.  It's difficult to see here but the texture created by the repeated application and removal of paint is interesting up close. 

"Jasper I & II" are acrylic on panel, 14x15" each.  These were part of my recent pouring experiments.  The highly organic outcome you tend to get with pouring can feel both internally and externally familiar.  These reminded me of one of my favorite minerals, jasper. 

"Citrus" is 36x48", acrylic on canvas.  The under-painting was scraped with a tool meant for creating faux wood effects in scenery.  The resulting grooves made for a fun foundation and gave the surface interest.  My loose goal with this one was just more experimentation with the circular template I found in the shop dumpster.  :)  I love the depth the overlays create, both with the positive circular shapes and the negative diamond shapes in-between.  This piece has a lot of pleasing movement and color for me. 

"Phases" is an acrylic pouring on canvas, 36x36, with a circular cut-away mask applied to it.  I won't get into the grueling details of the development; the mystery is appealing in this one.  I love how the combination of the banded pouring and rows of circles creates a rotating motion, the most obvious association being of planets.

"Breakaway I & II" are acrylic pourings on canvas, 18x24" each.  For the past few days I've been experimenting with a new technique involving acrylic pouring on either panel or canvas.  There are a couple of different mediums that can be added to the paint to enhance the flow factor (and slow drying).  You can also add silica to the paint which creates a resist.  Then after the paint is applied and starts to set up, you hit it with a blowtorch to bring up and pop the silica bubbles/beads.  That creates spots in the paint surface where under-layers can rise up and interact with the top layers.  As with any water medium, you can also spray it with water to create washes and bleeds or alcohol to add further resistance.  All very interesting and all very out-of-control and wait-and-see.  You can tilt the substrate to manipulate the paints, which can be cool but also be a disaster.  It's a trial and error process but the results, when they are successful, are beautiful.  So I could better focus on the process, I kept the composition of these two very simple. 

"Golden" is 36x36", acrylic on canvas.  I started this painting last fall when the leaves were at their most brilliant.  Every year I get inspired by the colors and want to paint them.  There's a spot on campus where I like to walk with large maple trees that turn an indescribable shade of yellow.  When you stand underneath and look up you are consumed with the color.  When I first painted this, it was all large gestural brushwork, attempting to capture that feeling at that moment.  Then I got pulled to other projects and this one sat in the corner of my studio untouched until last week.  I sat with it for a bit, deciding where it should go.  I wanted to add some mark-making but not overly define the content, something similar to a minimalistic yet highly rendered Japanese ink painting. 

"Serendipity" is large at 28x96", acrylic on board.  This is a very custom size to hang in a lobby breakout over a long counter.  It was originally inspired by another abstract I painted many years ago.  I really enjoyed the technique of freely applying the large intersecting arcing lines, then finding the design within.  I challenged myself to minimize the palette with this one, keeping to mostly a warm range of orange and told tones and establishing the composition using a complimentary range of blues and grays.  I like that this piece is energetic without being aggressive.  There's a great deal of texture in the surface that's difficult to convey here but you get the idea.  Happy Friday!