Focused calm, by the sea and in the studio

Wading to the Pier, 48”x60”, oil on canvas.

Sometimes I make large format art installations. I use a variety of techniques and media, including printmaking, digital laser cutting, fabric dying and sewing. Sometimes I enjoy collaboration with other artists, including dancers, composers and costume designers, because they bring processes and ideas to the work that I would never come up with on my own.

This way of working is exciting, but also demanding. And so, sometimes I like to pare down and work alone in my studio, immersed in the basic elements of painting. Color, line, composition, and shape, have held the attention of great artists for decades of their careers. O’Keeffe, Matisse, and Frankenthaler, spent many years focused on these formal issues. So, when I start to crave quiet time in my studio, just to paint, I know I couldn’t possibly exhaust the variations and opportunities to learn from this practice.

In my piers series, I begin with a subject that seems abstracted before I even start. Old dock and pier pilings can be found up and down the New England coast. Remains of previously useful objects, they stand calmly, indifferently, in the water. As I look, they cut the beach, water and sky up into swatches color. Depending on the weather and the time of day; the posts might be back-lit and dark, while the water could be brightly reflective. High and low water marks on the posts create another opportunity for playing with color relationships.

I can’t deny that working with this coastal subject also gives me an excuse to get to the shore and dip my toes in the water. Like everyone else, the sand, salt air, and the sea give me solace. So, when I am calm and focused in my studio, working with this subject makes it easy to slip into a state of hyper-focus, mixing colors, seeing how they interact on the canvas and then mixing some more. The frame of mind I cultivate in my studio is similar to the one I feel when I stand ankle-deep, staring at the pilings and the horizon. I hope that viewers looking at the abstracted colors and the play of light feel a similar sense of focused calm.