Yoga pose X... the next one in the line up... another one out on a limb (pun), including myself (no pun)!

I think this enigmatic view point has potential...

... as it almost reads like a human calligraphic mark.

Having reflected upon my art over the last few weeks (as I usually do at the beginning of a new year), I'm left with the idea that there is no real expressionism without using an "alla prima" approach to the painting process. This scares the control freak that resides within me... but I have to give it a shot!

On another train of thought, I just realized that with this series, my use of saturated colors has gradually increased to such an extent that I'm now shouting my impressions at people (last painting in particular)...

... something akin to using capital letters in an e-mail or raising the volume to 11! Part of this stems from my own need to counterbalance the lack of sun these days. The other part derives from my unconscious need to be louder than most paintings I see in prestigious Montreal galleries (joke)! Representing the Zen-like aspects of Yoga with loud colors may have some merit from an artistic standpoint... as a figure of style... sort of like calling a 6 footer "shorty". I think it's time to put my ego in a jar... and reach for that jar of ivory black that has been carrying dust over the last 3-4 months. After all, I thought I had developed a very personal color scheme with my use of dirty colors... sort of like looking at the world with California shades! As I swing back though, I want to retain some of the qualities of my recent works.

In a nutshell, based on my previous patterns, I see an opportunity in contrasting attenuated and fully saturated colors, painting more directly in less layers, applying thick paint with a palette knife and moving it around with a brush, letting textures take care of themselves as opposed to blatantly developing them in an exaggerated fashion.

Note to self: "As I'm closing the gap to 3 years of concentrated efforts on acrylics (by August 2010), there's a danger of my getting demoralized as things are not moving as fast as I anticipated (I keep raising the bar!). Moreover, most people prefer my earlier works which are slowly selling out! This is more a function of subject matter though and my last series or at least part of it is likely to be more popular (the test will be at my fall exhibition). I think it's time to get the kid back, the non conformist, the clown. I think it's time to let go and have some fun! This art thing can't be that serious!"

Sub-note to self: "I'm still searching... yet I feel it's important to remain true to my original painting principles!"