During an art retreat at Mountain Home Ranch in Calestoga, California in the spring of 2010, artist and teacher Leigh Hyams nudged me towards working larger. By the end of that year, I had started my first in a series of much bigger works—a seven by eleven foot acrylic painting. It took four months to complete… just in time for the next spring retreat in 2011. My regular workspace inside the barn was too small. I searched around the ranch. The only surface large enough was the outer wall of the barn.
Working larger allows a different, more intimate relationship with the painting. Through time and patience and care, I move from the exciting wild beginning, to the final precise ending. Learning to stay… to not run away… till the very end.
Holding the space open for life to unfold.
Life is nuanced.
Parts are veiled… beneath the surface.
Only the essential images remain.
Tension exists between the objects.
Strong movement… soft movement.
Whole body emersion.
Life unfolds on a grander scale.