I found a little bit of time last weekend for artwork and created this very little painted card.  The card itself measures 2.375″ high by 1.625″ wide. The frame, shown below, measures 3.5″ wide by 4.5″ high and is 1.25″ deep. The card is made from 4 ply Strathmore 500 bristol board and it is painted with acrylic inks, watercolor pencils and metallic acrylics.  I floated the card against a background of antique marbled paper.

I love the idea of this symbol – a tree with stars for leaves – and it serves as a visual reminder in my mind, bringing up a feeling of potential for the transformation it represents.  The six-pointed star is traditionally a symbol for mercury – combining upward and downward pointing triangles that represent mercury’s role of uniting the sun and moon in the alchemical process.  The tree is also a symbol used to represent a similar kind of unity – between heaven and earth – with the branches in the sky and the roots planted deep in the ground.

This original small framed painting is available for sale in my Etsy store HERE.

This most recent piece, called Diving the Depths of Communication, is a collage done on Strathmore 500 bristol board, using maps and engraved illustrations from old discarded books. The media used includes liquid acrylic inks, Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, and Pitt artist brush markers. The image is 5″ by 5″ square.

This collage process has developed in response to having less time to devote to create endeavors.  I wanted to find a way to explore my artwork in similar ways as before but in a less time-intensive way.  Using collage elements combined with the immediacy of the brush markers has been working well for me lately.  I’m sure, as time allows, I will still pursue other creative process, such as those I use in the Alchemy Notebook, but for now this is providing me a quick way to keep my creativity moving forward.

I just updated the “About” page by adding an artist’s statement.  I haven’t shared much in the past about the creative process behind my work – my general thinking being that the work will create its own dialogue.  This is an experiment in adjusting that approach – let me know your thoughts.

The image above is a detail from a larger painting completed in 2003 called Quadrature of the Circle.  I will be updating the gallery with the full image and adding more artwork soon.

I have really become a fan of the Inktense watercolor pencils. The pigmentation is very highly concentrated, more so than any of the other watercolor pencils I have tried. If you enjoy working with watercolor pencils you should give them a try and let me know what you think.

I recently completed this piece, working outside the Alchemy Notebook for a change.  It is a collage done on Strathmore 500 bristol board, using engraved illustrations from old books.  The media used includes liquid acrylic inks, Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, and metallic acrylic inks.  The image is 5″ by 5″ square.

This piece is a part of the Love, Lust and Desire show currently running at the McGowan Fine Art in Concord, NH.  You can read more about the show HERE.