Series of . . .

One my biggest goals for a very, very long time was to create some sort of cohesive painting series. I do not have any specific reasoning why except I wanted to! I tried a few times but never felt I accomplished the ideal image in my mind. However, recently I completed something beautifully provoking that fits the image in my mind. . .

This is a series of five on 8×10 inch canvases. Two of the five canvases were previously painted on (the end canvases). The previous paintings were merely experiments that lead to nothing special. I could have easily used newly fresh canvases for all five paintings but I love the idea of repurposing. Most of what I create always incorporates some sort of repurposing element. I feel that is a big reflection to who I am not only as an artist but who I am as a person. My second purpose for the use of previous painted canvas was the texture. I used oil paint originally and painted over the oil with acrylic, which always leaves behind a texture. A distinct rough looking texture, which was exactly want I was looking for and wanted. My third and final purpose for the use was the idea of layering and hiding. Things are not always what they seem especially at a first glance.

RED! Red is one of my least favorite colors. I rarely use the color nor wear the color. It is not the color for me, so the big question is why? Why red? How did this color end up all over my canvases? This is when the power of emotion comes into play. Personally I view the color red as dark, painful, and monsterly especially when applying black to or on top of it and that is why I chose it. It is a color of battle. Life is a battle, if it were easy would we truly enjoy it? We need a little struggle here and there to build ourselves up, to discover who we are, and to grow as humans. Struggle equals lessons learned, whether they are our own or not. The battle I see is not always my own but it is remarkable how it affects me greatly. . .

My battle is mine. Your battle is yours. I want you to look at this series, at each painting and find your battle not mine. That is where I shall leave you. . .