I call these paintings the In-Betweens because I work on them between my realistically rendered paintings. The In-Betweens are a reprieve from the intense concentration necessary for realistic artwork. They are a breather, a break from normal. They fill that period of time between completing a realistic painting and beginning a new one. In-Betweens are an exhale. I just let go. I paint with no preconceptions. They are a dream world where colors are emotions, smells, tastes and sounds. The colors define shapes and create a rhythmic composition. To simply follow the colors and shapes with complete abandon is the greatest fun of all. It's satisfying to be lead around the picture plane that way after exhausting myself on a realistic piece that requires precision and unwavering attention to detail.
The In-Betweens are a total change of pace and method. I begin with an old painting (you know— one from the “I wrecked it, I quit pile!”) and scrub off most of the old paint. I like the paper to show a hint of whatever image was there before. Then with pencil I draw a pattern of skewed shapes and creatures. The real fun is glazing one color over another to create patterns and rhythms dancing around the page. Every new layer changes the composition. As layers deepen and colors become richer, the picture plane develops depth and a surreal landscape appears.
If you think about it, we are always in-between. We're between waking and sleeping, birth and death, between this thought and the next. And what of the gap between each breath? There is the space between you and me that we call relationships. While seeming empty, those spaces between are alive with potential. Inevitably we fill them up with the expectations and desires that create our world. When you meet that vibrant potential, how and what do you choose to fill it?
