Dressed Nude Painting

Art school taught me to assess my art as I created it in terms of composition, design, variety of strokes, originality, skill, freshness, etc. That modus operandi was painful for me, because it was too cautious, too inhibiting, so I decided to teach myself how to paint from the heart and the body instead of only from the head. I wanted to work with both technique and passion. I withdrew to a remote village in eastern France, and when I wasn't renovating the house and land, I painted, listening to how I felt as I worked rather than what I thought or was trained to think about the work in progress. Over time, years really, the house took shape as a bed and breakfast with my paintings on every wall. I never focused on selling them, I was focused on creating images that I could recognize as a deeper aspect of my nature than I normally showed the world. I put them on the walls just to see them better, in a different context. I was actually surprised and a bit conflicted when people began asking "how much for that one?" I wasn't sure I even wanted to let them go. For me, they were a record of a personal experience. I offer them here, in the form of archival prints or “giclees.” My goal has always been to make work that has the beauty and honesty of simple handmade craft, but with an extra energy that comes out of a moment of discovery. If a painting continues to pump out a joyous energy year by year, I consider it successful. That’s what I’m going for. I’m surprised and pleased at how faithfully the reproduction process conveys the spirit and soul of my work. Less