Listening In

Listening In, 6 x 6 inches, Oil Pastel on Paper

This is my fourth attempt at reconnecting and listening to my intuitive inner voice. Years ago when I had no idea how to create an abstract painting, I had an artist friend whose abstract paintings I loved. Each one was more magical and mysterious to me. She had some earlier work hanging in her home from her student years at Cooper Union that were, I thought, also amazing and realistic. I remember asking her why she didn't work that way anymore. She said that if she knew before she began, where she was going with a painting, then "that wasn't it". I have almost always known where I was going with a painting before I started. I draw and study color and work out the composition in advance and then use photo references to make sure the final painting is true to the original inspiration. But that process has begin to feel deadening to me. I decided it was time to jump out of the box and do something very different. New studio...new work, and I am feeling alive in my painting process again. I guess the Ghost Ranch Series is finally finished after 25 paintings.