open and closed

I'm in the process of trying to make my painting more like my sketchbook drawings (18 books are currently scanned in and up on my site under 'drawings'). In general, i see a back and forth over time between open and closed forms. That has always been a big question- how does one go from line to shape if the line doesn't connect to close a shape? The mind is good at filling in the gaps and accepting vague form, especially in drawing. In painting however, color begs the question- where and how does one color end and another begin. sharp or fuzzy? Not wanting to deal with all this perhaps explains why i love color field painting when it works. So here are a few recent little paintings.

Presentation

So I just returned from New York where I ran around to as many art fairs as I could fit in. Unfortunately there was no way for me to do them all. I had some paintings with Andrea Schwartz Gallery who was in the Red Dot fair. The Red Dot is a new fair, held in a hotel. The gallerists had a restriction that they couldn't put holes in the wall (no new hooks), and no lighting assistance, so there was much improvising.

What I learned from seeing my paintings in that less than ideal situation is that i need to bring more painted light into the work. They need to look good in the dark. My studio is super deluxe in that i have gallery lighting with some natural light, but paintings don't usually live in that condition very often. To see it in a dull ambient incandescent/fluorescent light made me realize that the work could stand to incorporate a bit more (?what's the word i'm looking for?) glowing tonal richness. Still, lighting is key to optimize the viewing of any subtle work. And i'm interested in a color field variation, not Thomas Kinkade/ Bob Ross style illustrated drama.

Another thing- Framing! It is popular to show unframed paintings, and i think that can be fine if the stretcher is large and substantial, but one thing i learned from all my gallery experience is that frames can make an artwork seem worth the price tag. Even an artist gallery frame (something to protect the edges) helps make the work feel a bit more finished. So next time....

I also got to catch up with some old friends and see that they're up to some great painting.