THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN — Telluride Art Gallery

*The Difference Between Now and Then* 60x60” acrylic, pastel and pencil on canvas 2023 (SOLD)

As a painter, my approach is predominately compositional. The Difference Between Now and Then was a return to a theme I did serval years earlier entitled Ancient Conversation. These pieces were primarily blues and greens with red elements. I liked this palette but wanted to pay more attention to the reds—a color I find challenging.

In The Difference Between Now and Then, large red passages over a bluey underlayer create the dominating force around which all of the other compositional elements revolve. The red is a mix of my own making and, compositionally, it provides the area where your eyes can rest while simultaneously creating the ground where the more energetic elements of the painting interact.

For me this painting is a very well-ordered. It has a balance of open and closed shapes, square and rounded forms along with thick and thin animated lines. Some edges melt into adjacent forms while other have distinct edges and boundaries. The contrasting deep red, calm areas speak with the hot, vivid red linework and create the binding conversational drama all paintings should have. Yet together, are they fighting or are they singing? I still cannot tell but I am intrigued by their dialog.