Blog: Working with Black and White aka Figuring It Out

Featured image: Figuring It Out 

When creating “Figuring It Out” I began by what comes naturally - putting washes of color on the paper. I had chosen the colors I wanted to work with - mainly black and white. It is not easy to make a work exciting when you use just two colors, but I knew that I wanted this to be a journey - not only for myself during the process of creation, but also for others who were going to view the work after it was finished.

The elements of strong contrast in “Figuring It Out” are quite evident simply because of the colors I chose in the beginning to experiment with. Because I have been painting all my life, the elements and principles of design are like the genes in my body – and come naturally for me, I don’t even think about them. A lifetime of creating allows me to expand upon those foundations as I work in the pursuit of creativity, discovery, and freedom.

When I create I rarely have an intent in mind – I want my mind to stay as free as a child choosing colors from a box of crayons. As I create, I let the washes of paint speak to me until a concept emerges. The conceptual theory within this work is life’s journey - while we would like to travel paths that are smooth and easy going, life does not always lend itself to smooth paths. There are rocks on the path and ladders we climb to rise above some of troubles we have during our journey of life.