Buttered up Painting

Since I was a kid, I’ve been an oil painter. I feel oil paint is a complex medium that requires multiple layers of paint and other mediums like stand oil to get the most out of its substance. Inside I am fundamentally an optimist. Applying bold and bright paint colors expresses my inside inspiration. For me, painting is like a catharsis. I arrange my compositions to portray my thoughts when combining the figure and outside imagery. I've always had more chaos in my work from the well of energy inside. My work is not symetrical while bordering on the abstract. In the 1990s my colleagues compared my work to Joan Mitchell's style. However, with the addition of the female figure, I developed more curvature and shapely movement. The work is loose and mostly open. My strokes are gestural and if I am painting my brushwork is considered impasto. I continually experiment with techniques because painting is like a puzzle, and I need the challenge. I painted at the Westchester Arts Workshop in White Plains. My focus was the landscape of the Bronx River Parkway. From 2003-2012, I studied Advanced Painting at the School of Visual Arts, Adult Education Department. Sva had weekly live models, mainly females. I painted in oils utilizing images from photographs or magazines and conceptualizing this image and live model onto my canvas. Recently, I dabbled with mediums such as crayons, pastels, watercolors, color pencils, and markers on small-sized paper; 11”x17” or 11” x14”. Consequently, developing a lively and colorful body of work featuring mainly elephants and cows. Working at home through the pandemic, I was inspired to create a new collection utilizing technology. Employing Photoshop, I mixed my hand-drawn artwork with photos of the Hudson River and flowers from my garden.