Paper Masks.
9x12
Acrylic and Pastel on canvas.
I get a lot of "You paint a lot, do you ever sleep?" and the answer is yes I paint...and yes I sleep. I think the thing many people don't realize is that my painting acts very much as a form of sketching...a form or relaxation...and it doesn't feel like work to me. I don't usually approach a piece with a drawn out plan...I rarely know exactly where I'm heading...and sometimes I have no idea where to go at the outset...much like a sketch. Instead of worrying about it and separating my "big ideas" from my "practice" I let the big ideas emerge FROM the practice. While many artists have a sketchbook, lesser work, and then their major pieces...I tend to work them all in together. Sometimes a small piece will come out as a favorite...sometimes a large piece will serve as a stepping stone to be covered later...
So while I do paint pretty much every night for multiple hours, also realize that my painting sessions are not cliched hours of emotional turmoil from which I may or may not recover, they are usually quite relaxed and pleasant hours of investigation, mark-making, and introspection...
"Don't you have any time for fun?"
Why yes...and I use it for painting. I wouldn't be doing it so much if I didn't find it the most enjoyable thing I can do.
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