Portfolio of Breathing Series

This series of 10 paintings completed between 4/21 and 10/2022 explore and expands the medium’s possibilities. Inspired by an earlier painting of mine of light breaking through misty atmosphere and a photo I had seen, that might have been a whirling dervish, I began with an underpainting in grayish colors, in the grisaille tradition. The underpainting provided structure for the multiple layers of color added as the paintings developed.

These large paintings all share the same break up of space, dictated by the under painting. The successive layers of heightened colors and exaggerated forms create hallucinatory images.

At the beginning of this series I limited the types of swirling brushstrokes and marks used relying on the use of color to express the energy and luminosity. As the series progressed I expanded the methods used to create the abstractions , to include washes of color and using various tools in addition to brushes to create textures. The latest works in the series have moved far from the initial paintings, where the early paintings were brash, dramatic and chiaroscuro the last are delicate with lyrical color.

During this intuitive painting process, unexpected color combinations and patterns emerged. The resulting paintings reflect transitory moments, breathing, air, and the electricity/energy that surround us.