Sometimes... things just don't work out. This painting was first created for a show with The Midwest Collage Society called Remnants and Remembrances. Found lost in a dark corner of a forgotten drawer, I discovered an old story describing my futuristic city. Written when I was about eight years old, it was inspiring to see my handwritting and I was astonished that it was accompanied by a drawing. The first layer of the design used altered copies of the story and the drawing. I threw everything and the kitchen sink into it: molding paste, crackle paste, glass bead gel and oil paint. The finished painting was too wet to deliver to the show so I had to back out. That is when I realized how horribly wrong it had gone. I struggled and fought the nature of the design becoming desperate to make it work. Driven almost to madness, I ran out to the nearest hardware store and bought an oribital sander. Power tools can be quite liberating. Obliterating layers with the sander outside of the studio I felt that fun childlike excitement building when I saw the face emerging from the the shadows. Pleased, I entered it in a show where it was awarded a ribbon. Wow, someone likes it! Casually observing it over months while it hung on wall I grew more and more dissatisfied. I decided to read my story again and let the words and the drawing guide the design. Scratching out layers of oil paint to bring back that first layer of collage I started feeling content. Here is the before and after which truly holds remnants and remembrances.      

4th Fridays Art Event at The Starline Factory 'Furlough' received the Nancy Merkling Choice Award It also SOLD! Coy Response also SOLD! WOW! What an amazing night at The Starline! Thank you to everyone who came out to see my featured artist exhibit!!!

Art in Nature - Plein Air Competition 9.10.17 Crabtree Nature Center Barrington Hills, IL [caption id="attachment_446" align="alignnone" width="450"] Crabtree
9" x 12" oil + cwm on board[/caption]