It is finally finished. I have been using a combination of acrylic and oil paint to really push the light in my paintings and I am very proud of how it came together in this piece.  I just completed it and it was recently hung in the University.  I have to apologize to my patrons who were put on the back burner because of this large commission.  Also a huge thank you to Robert Morris University in commissioning me to paint in such a large scale.  It was so much fun.

                                     Celebration of Fine Art

My most successful and enjoyable show is the Celebration of Fine Art Festival Jan 15 - through the end of March.  I have a new body of work that I am very excited to share with you.  The show will be gearing up again shortly but until then look for me at any of my future fall shows.  If you are in the Chicago area in December be sure to find me at the Merchandise Mart.  It is a 4 day show on the 8th floor with over 250 artists and vendors.  Send me an e-mail for free passes.

Art is the process of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions.  It took me a long time to really understand the definition of art.  I was trying to draw as close to life as possible to show how great I was at exact replication while expressing myself in other ways.  That is not art.

Texture is probably the most dominant visual in my paintings.  I love how a painting can envoke feeling and anything that helps a painting speak to the viewer, the better.  When I am at a show I can sit back and watch people reach out to touch the paint without thinking, just stopping themselves.  They know not to touch, it could be wet or damaged if they did but the texture draws them in to the point that it is hard not to.  I love to exagerate this captivating element.  Outlining, shadowing and pushing the color so it to wants to leap off the canvas.  One painting from my tree series was painted where you were looking up and someone commented how it made them feel dizzy and I asked how many paintings made them feel anything at all.  Later they came back an bought it with appreciation of the effect it had on them as.  I love that.

"Reflecting Aspens" 48x60 $5900

Showing at the 2011 Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, January 15th - March