2017
2016
2015
My abstract works are totally non-representational. They are not inspired in any way by anything that I have seen. They are not inspired by anything that I have imagined. I do not have any image in mind when I start them. I want to paint something that does not trigger any memories or associated feelings. There is no narrative. They are paintings of paint. Yes, the paint is the subject. I simply want to enjoy what it is. I want a pure painting, free of words that can describe it, free of symbolism and metaphors, free from distraction.
The paint is the master after all. It tells me what to do as I work. Sometimes I forget this and try to tell the paint what it’s going to do, and things usually turn out quite unpleasant to my sensibilities. Oil paint is very wise; it’s been around for hundreds of years. I am a fool if I do not heed the advice of this elder of mine. I used to only paint realistically. I got used to being the boss. But an abstract painting of mine has its own life to live. I cannot force it to be what I think it should be. I have to listen to it as it grows. Each step of the way I stop and listen. Sometimes it tells me to obliterate my favorite part. It’s a test to see if I will submit. If I pass the test I am always rewarded, and thus I have learned to trust the wisdom of the paint.