The Beginning

It begins with this image. I am restless and not happy with the work I have done on a recent trip to France. Somehow the work feels contrived and stiff. I am after something deeper and more immediate. I leave the pieces aside and take up a 13 x 24 gessoed panel. I loosely mix viridian and umber and draft some basic shapes onto the panel. I let the brush move without too much control. I am after something beyond the literal view. How does one capture the emotionality of what one sees? How does one put the essence into the painting?

I begin to rub paint layers into the panel with soft clothes. I use my hands and sand and lay in many times. The image emerges as a luminous departure from my more expressionist/impressionist style. I am leaving familiar ground. I have found the trail head.
I call this painting, "Full Moon Rising." It is a new beginning.