Energy Portraits

We are all individuals with perpetually changing energies. Most of us sense energy rather than see it. Years ago, when I walked into my late mother’s room, I knew she had gone. Her physical appearance was the same, but her energy had left her body.

Apollo. Eight inches square. Acrylic on canvas.

It got me thinking about this energy we all carry through life. Energy Portraits is my imagined sense of that force, a tribute celebrating the mysterious essence that brings us alive and connects us all.

Dionysus. Eight inches square. Acrylic on canvas.

Rather than representing figures, these portraits depict the energy that their subjects hold for me. I'm fascinated by inner conflict, so I've painted the clash between Apollo and Dionysus, which we all feel from time to time.

Awareness. Eight inches square. Acrylic on canvas.

The third portrait is of Awareness, the timeless essence that brings us alive and transcends physical life. I imagine Awareness as an amorphous, ever-changing energy whose gift to us all is unconditional love.

Abstracting Early Masters

Abstracting Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea.

Galatea One. Eight inches square. Acrylic on canvas.

Galatea 1 paired with Triangulation, another abstract from Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea.

Close Up

It’s nice to pause in the middle of whatever we’re doing to observe the present moment. Here’s a moment from the Studio this week. A detail from a painting in progress. What can you pause to observe today?

What Is An Apple?

In this sculpture drawing, my aim is to stay engaged in the experience of seeing and marking.

Charcoal on newsprint.

There is no measurement. No aesthetic. Akin to sculpting, the forms emerge on canvas as I record what they feel like with brush and hand. Masses in space.

Value study. Acrylic on canvas.

Preliminary sketch.