Reticulation 3+2 Painting

Reticulation 3+2 is a diptych consisting of two carved acrylic paintings on unframed wood panels, wired and ready to hang. The edges of the panels are painted white with an eggshell finish. The design works best when the panels are hung approximately 1 inch apart. For me, making art is about dipping into my reservoir of motifs and techniques, refining them, discovering new ones, and then combining the old and new in fresh ways. The Reticulation paintings continue that approach. I created these paintings by repeatedly adding and removing acrylic paint – alternately spackling, stamping, spattering, and dripping, then sanding, carving, scratching, scraping to create a rich interplay of textures. The surface richness is visual as well as tactile. I want every element to invite a second look, and a third, and a fourth. The layers of spatters, drips, stamps, and carvings in Reticulation create a netted, interwoven (i.e., reticulated) pattern over the whole surface, without dominant focal points or stark contrasts. Viewers have described the imagery as branches, blood vessels, nerves, and fragments. The Reticulation paintings are not fully modular (as is the earlier Reservoir series, also available here on ), but their elements connect in at least two different ways: all of the carved circles will connect in one arrangement; in another, all of the branch/vein forms will connect. Pink and green are the dominant colors in Reticulation 3+2, with accents of red, maroon, violet, and blue. The pink and green panels provide a pleasing warm/cool contrast. The larger circles and thin parallel lines are carved into the painted acrylic surface. Each piece is also available separately, or combined with the other two Reticulation paintings for a single four-panel piece.