I’M IN!  MY FIRST EXHIBITION, “bloom”

Each year the Folsom Arts Association (FAA) produces a exhibition of works at the Harris Center for the Arts here in Folsom.  Unfortunately, circumstances this year prohibit gatherings and so the show had to be be moved on-line.  Nonetheless, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this exciting event, and with the help of super nice folks at FAA, my piece “bloom” is now being shown alongside many other fabulous works at the FAA On-line Site.

The theme for the show this year is “creativity bloom” and so selecting this piece for entry was a no-brainer.  Here is a full image of my piece, “bloom”…

bloom

I completed this in March 2019 soon after watching the film “At Eternity’s Gate“, a flowingly intuitive and celebratory biopic on the life of Vincent van Gogh.  I was mesmerized by the struggles of an underdog who stayed true to his passion against seemingly insurmountable forces to produce so many incredible glimpses about his views of the world.  I wanted to experience that passion and so I started a piece in the style of some of his wonderful floral works.

I really enjoyed loading up my brush and palette knives with these bright colors and laying them down thick on the canvas.  My process involved a few stages starting with the background, and then scraping the hidden-most vegetation down flat with a large palette knife.  I grabbed a smaller knife and literally “scooped” up different paints before pressing them down together to reveal the beautiful blends of the foreground foliage.  Next was the stem structure in a bold brown.  Lastly I applied thick dabs of white then blue to reveal the bursting flowers.  Each step involved a drying process where I got to step back and see how the colors and textures were complimenting one another.  In the end I couldn’t have been more pleased with my humble homage to VvG!

This piece is 16″ x 20″ on 3/4″ canvas.  I had hoped to have it framed for this show, but I am still awaiting for the frame to arrive.  As soon as it does, I will come back and update this post with some pics of it hanging, with additional detail shots up-close.  It is being offered through the show at $250 (including frame if you want).  Please contact me through the contact form on my website, by giving me a call or text @ 916.806.1707, or sending me a message in Facebook.  It would be terrific to find a beautiful home for others to enjoy my first show piece, “bloom”.  Thank you, and stay safe!