After the race II -step II... progressing in this new avenue like the blind leading the blind!

This second pass was meant to reinforce abstract patterns while creating a certain sense of movement....

... not an easy task for me, i.e., painting the feeling of something as opposed to painting something!

I'm hoping for a quick third pass that will just add necessary nuances both color wise and texture wise...

After the race II -step I...time to experiment!

Having reached my primary objective of 10 paintings for the 100 m series... I'm in the mood to experiment... and to push further...

... at the risk of making a fool of myself... and I will! I'm after an abstract crowd and a back lit runner that blends with it...

Note to self: "My challenge with poor source materials (e.g., TV screen shots) is to make them work for me... to transcend them with imagination and artistry... to show who's the boss!"

After the race I - final step... there's no two ways about it, speed is of the essence!

Another one pretty much completed in 3 quick passes...

My better watercolors and Chinese black inks were all done at the blink of an eye... and it seems to be the trend with acrylics as well. Spending more time on a painting means - at least for me - more left brain (logic) intervention as opposed to right brain (feeling) intervention... leading to probing deep in the world of the unimaginative, it seems!

Note to self: "Is this a new painting path? Or simply a testimony that high contrast under intense lighting pays off no matter what color scheme is used. One thing is for sure, I don't want to define anything anymore... I want to suggest everything!"

After the race I - step II... sucking wind as a plumber but a glimpse of hope in the art department!

I almost bit more than I could chew doing a plumbing job in the basement. It took the better part of 2 hours to cut off the tap from an old leaky drain valve installed too close to a cement wall. I imagined I was escaping from a prison! Needless to say, what does not destroy you makes you stronger!

I mustered enough energy to do a second pass on my last 100 m dash painting...

This one feels a little better than the previous one.... I'd like to cultivate some abstract patterns and let the figure blend with the background in a ghost-like fashion...

After the race I - step I... back to the prudent approach!

Wanting to avoid the bad experience of my previous failed attempt... I built what I believe to be a stronger foundation for this one... with the hope of bringing it to fruition with a minimum of blood, sweat and tears!

I would like to avoid as much as possible "flogging a dead horse" as I did previously!

With this one I would like a much warmer color schemes with red and ochre ... this is a 24 X 30 canvas...

Racing start III... an expressionist post-mortem spasm!

Although I played plumber the greater part of the day (as "this old house" owner)... I couldn't resist reserving 15 minutes or so for a last experiment on the previous canvas... now reduced down to 20 X 24...

I called this one an expressionist post-mortem spasm! Not quite ready to join the German group yet... but it did have a cathartic effect... sort of...

Note: I managed to get rid of the runner's biblical look through observing a Jamaican at the Home Depot...

Note to self: "Need to figure out how to introduce some greens in my rendition of skin tones.... I never dared... being afraid of spoiling the picture!".

Racing start III... finally, nothing more than a canvas for experimenting techniques!

With this work so far, I used different techniques of paint application and learned a few things... but that's about it. Overworking led to a stiff illustration.... I was after a contemporary piece of art...

I decided to deconstruct this painting: "like Lautrec... I had nothing "Toulouse"!

Evidently, It won't join the collection. With this one, it's like I said "oops" before getting started... not a good sign!

Note to self: "With this one, I used too much brain and not enough intuition. Also, I know a little better the limits of my current painting methods!"