Both sides of the coin.

   While painting at a garden off the horsehead bay area before more than 1500 participants this weekend, I shared my postcard with many interested spectators who were watching me paint a cottage scene en plein air. Thier reaction was curious to learn that this more graphic image or semi-abstract piece was also a painting I did last year. In reality my past was rooted in graphic arts and photography for 20 years before retiring from traditional meathods in the wake of the digital revolution. I am intrigued towards surrealism, texture and layering. While I admire the photographic work of Paul Caponigro or many of the mixed media artists like Dave McKean, collected in the book "Art Revolution" by Lisa Cyr. I tend to work from life, or out of my imagination and am not interested in using the computer as a tool. Nor can I afford much play time to experimentation or sustain the inspiration during a lengthy "build-up" process as patiently as most mixed media artists. As it is, many of my creations take 30-50 hours just to render a scene, figure or still life painting. Thus very few of these such projects make it to success or completion as this work has. ("Grey matter" 17"x26").