Preparing to teach my abstract workshop next week, has me contemplating all the many ideas and techniques I want to share with students.  Metal leafing applied either as an accent or as a background, is one of my faves.  Sometimes I use adhesive spray randomly and gently lay in sheets of leafing, while other times I paint adhesive in a more deliberate, designed way.  In this painting a very large amount of leafing was applied underneath gel medium and thin glazes of transparent and translucent color.  This abstract composition changes based on the quality and direction of the light reflecting on the metallic surface.  I thrive on change!

My paintings are dramas...the shapes on the canvas are the performers.  Most of the time I work intuitively and do not know what will show up on the stage.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."  Albert Einstein

This quote of Einstein's has mostly been true.  I believe this is changing.  Are you are interested in the ideas of left brain/right brain, rational mind/intuitive mind? If so, read the book,  My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor, or watch this Ted Talk:  http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

This mixed media collage was recently accepted into the 22nd annual International Juried Exhibition of Experimental Artists (ISEA) at the Big Arts Center in Sanibel Island, FL.  This exhibition will be on display from October 18th until November 27th, 2013.  www.iseaartexhibit.org

Designing dynamic compositions happens by creating contrasts. Visual intrigue is more probable when you balance contrasting qualities, like contrasting areas of many shapes, with areas of few; colorful areas with areas of neutrals; and opaque areas with those that are translucent or transparent. I get a kick out of using yellowed pages from an old copy of War and Peace I picked up from a "free box" on a street in Taos, NM.  There isn't more of a contrast than that of WAR and PEACE!