Awareness Unlocked My Potential

Since I had never painted before, my early paintings surprised me. Of course, not all of them turned out. For every painting shown on this page, there is one that gathers dust or was painted over. By looking at the dates on these early paintings and comparing them to the paintings on the home page, you can experience the same growth that I have.

When you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s all just one big experiment. Every time I would stumble upon something I liked, I tried to figure out how I arrived at that place so I could do it again. Of course, this also proved elusive.

Through my own trials and the kind guidance of my mentor Allen Tager, I learned that awareness unlocks our potential. Over time, I became more aware of many visual issues which affect whether a painting moves us and how it makes us feel. As my awareness increased, it translated into what I was doing on the canvas. Here are some of these issues:

• The millions of color possibilities
• The difference in how each color affects the feel of the painting
• The relationship of one color to another – how does their connection feel?
• How much does one element dominate the painting?
• Are all the areas and elements of the painting in balance?
• Is their depth…the sense of a world much greater than what is on the canvas?
• Ultimately, does the painting convey a sense of beauty?

While there is much more than this to any painting, a growing awareness of these issues has enabled me to better express the feelings in my heart and from beyond about the workings of the universe.