Monster Monday II

Oil on canvas 18x24”. Circa January 2021. SOLD
[original caption]
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Let’s talk about documenting vs expressing, which is what I’m becoming increasingly more interested in as I develop my vocabulary in painting.

Painting is personal and I think it exists on a spectrum from completely abstract to hyperrealistic. Where we position ourselves on that spectrum is where individuality comes in, and where expressing our own personality comes through.

There’s no right or wrong here. For me, personally I’ve been walking a tightrope between describing the things that I see on the one hand, and expressing how I feel about
them on the other - and trying to get all of that into the painting at the same time.

If I wanted to approach
painting in a more documentary way, if I
wanted to be more literal about where things are,
I would just have to paint in a slightly different way.

But this painting isn't about that. It’s not documentary, it's not about saying this was here and this was here at this particular point in time.
It's much more personal.

So there's a lot of marks in here, which are very much about how I was feeling at the time, feelings I can only assign color and shape to that I can’t say any other way. Things I just don’t have words to speak about, but, need to say.

So you’ll notice my “style” changes as I learn how to make the marks to communicate more effectively.

You are not trapped, either. You are free to change. And, you should.
🐙