Behind the Scenes Look at More Passion:

This was one of my first couple paintings. I actually created couple themed paintings before I started creating torso paintings. But because these paintings are considered risque by some viewers, any works with subtle nudity have never been shown at art shows. My goal as an artist is to show the beauty of the human body. But as we know, not everyone holds that belief, and many people would have the vapors should I bring one of these to a gallery or art fair. So to avoid drama, they remain for the most part unseen by the public accept online. I had actually created this same piece, but with a very different color palette (of blues and reds) first. Because of it’s almost angry color scheme, it had a very different feel than this one. I decided after the original sold, to try painting the painting again, but with a new color palette that I had recently started using. And this was the result. I chose this image because I felt that making love outside, near a waterfall would be quite sexy. I imagined that being in Hawaii in a deserted part of one of the islands, could lead to a very romantic tryst. So that was my intent when creating this piece - to portray that on canvas. I get this question a lot, so I will just try to put it to rest - no, that is not me in the painting! She has blonde hair only because I liked the contrast of his dark hair, and her light hair. Which is also why I made their skin contrasting as well. It was an artist choice, nothing else. I am often asked how long a painting such as this takes me. Every piece of art work is different. And of course, each piece contains the culmination of everything I have learned up until that point. So the most correct answer would be “a lifetime.” But for those who can’t see in the abstract like that - figurative works generally take me about a year to complete. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Partly because I am always painting multiple works at once. And partly because good things take time. And if I don’t have a specific show deadline, I let the paintings dictate their completion, rather than me. For another look at creation of art see Lack of Intention

Behind the Scenes Look at My Abstract Landscape Series:

People always want to know why artists paint what we paint, so I thought over the next few months I’d share background on some of the paintings I get the most questions about.

At art shows people always ask me about these landscape paintings. They are surprised to learn that I paint them with my fingers.  I don’t use any brushes for my abstract landscape series, only my hands.  So yes - I guess you can still finger paint as an adult!

One of the reasons I started to use this technique, is that I wanted the paintings to really emote.  And the best way for me to do that - was to have nothing between me and the canvas. 

I also use music to help create emotion as well.  When painting this particular series, I intentionally listened to Bon Jovi's Lost Highway cd. I was trying to capture the emotions of their music, particularly the songs "Make a Memory" and "Whole Lot of Leavin"  Another reason I intentionally listen to the same CD when creating a series, is that painting a series can take many months of work.  In order to get into the same mental state as the last time in your studio working on a series, I find it helpful to continue to listen to the same set of music.  It helps me stay / return to a similar place mentally and emotionally.

The funny thing about using the same music over a period of time in the studio, is that my interpretation of that album can change. For example, some of the pieces in this series are more moody and dark, while others are light.  It all has to do with how I was feeling about the content of the album at the time I was listening and creating.

Another way to create emotion in a piece  is to make sure there is a good play of light on a piece. Which can be a little more difficult to do when working with something as blunt an imprecise as a finger.  So sometimes I also us an artists medium to make the paint stay wet a little longer than normal, in order to be better able to blend.

I hope this helped give you a little bit of insight into how and why I painted this series.  Let me know if you have any other questions about the series I can answer for you.

For another look at behind the painting, see My Latest Torso Series - A New Twist