I adore texture…whether it be a plush pillow, mosaic table top, a rattan chair, or faux fur blanket, I love to explore and experience textures.  My mother pointed this out to me one day, while we browsed Pottery Barn. I had been complaining to her that my son touches EVERYTHING when we walk into a store.  But there I was, running my hands across every fabric and piece of furniture in the store, without even realizing it.  I suppose my son inherited his strange curiosity from me (my mother smiled and suggested that, as well).  It’s not surprising that I love to work with different materials and add texture to my work.

Recently, I have incorporated paper to my paintings.  I became interested in collage techniques last year.  My experiments led to the creation of Welcome to Fabulous, my painting of the Vegas Sign on the home page of my website.  If you look closely, this painting incorporates my own photographs, playing cards, and a variety of pre-printed papers.  Just like other materials, paper can be a beautiful addition to a piece of art work, adding interest, surprises, movement, and texture to the piece.

Paper and layers of paint led to the success of my latest painting, Inherited Optimism.  This painting was created in four overlapping layers.  The first simple step was to paint the background. 

After that, I applied torn paper for each individual state, attempting to give each it’s own personality and some texture.

The third step included blocking out the word “dream” and relief printing the background stripes (my way of adding the spirit of Old Glory) with acrylic paint and corrugated cardboard – adding more great texture!!

The final step was to dry brush paint “dream” as if it is floating, without covering up the image underneath.   After contemplating the results, I added dry brush color to emphasize the American Flag.The surface texture of Inherited Optimism is curiously diverse and interesting…makes you want to run your hand across the surface… it’s certainly tempting to me…