Starting block 3 step II... going for higher color saturation for my emotional rescue!

This time around, without changing my palette or my previous ways, I simply went for higher color saturation all around...

May be it's the gray summer we've had so far... but it seems that I suddenly have a craving for intense colors... as a means to survive emotionally! With this painting, I'm going for my emotional rescue!

A quick third and final pass will aim at improving the background, some of the highlights and textural aspects throughout...

Starting block 3 - step I... couldn't stop at 13... and 14 could be my lucky number!

I realized the "100 m'" series only had 13 paintings... so I felt compelled to add another one to avoid bad luck! I decided to start painting with no preparation... for the sake of freedom and with the thinking that if I start loose I'm more likely to finish loose! Using a loose piece of canvas, I went from 30 X 30 to 28 X 28... a small price to pay for a bad eye...

This speedy second pass was done with the spirit of breaking away dramatically from my previous patterns...

Over the last year or so, I've enjoyed a general graying/attenuation of colors as a means to apply a distinctive screen to my color palette and in following up with my Chinese painting experience (black ink is used to attenuate watercolors). With this second pass, I suddenly have the urge to part from that tradition. This painting is likely to stick out like a sore thumb... but I've got to let go to move forward!

Note to self: "Going for general color attenuation and expressiveness at the same time seemed to be a contradiction in terms. Some of my latest paintings are already showing a tendency for more impactful colors. It's now the time to tip the scale in that direction. As a first step, I intend to use color attenuation sparingly as a means to make brighter colors stand out."

Las Terrenas - step III... what kind of painter am I? I will soon find out... the kind I'm not!

This new subject matter had a way of trowing me off balance big time! Four and a half hours overall got me to this final version:

A dab of this, a dab of that: suddenly I'm gaining a whole lot of respect for plein air painters working on small size canvases (this one is 20 X 20)! Although I like the power of large "in your face" subjects, I'm sure I will benefit from tackling new subjects such as this one, getting outside my "beaten path" so to speak...

Note to self: "My challenge here is to manage many elements at the same time with different color mixes. Mixing enough colors and simplifying painting steps, i.e. developing short-cuts, will help. I also need to learn how to paint gray and white!".

Las Terrenas - step II... outside my level of comfort!

It took an hour this afternoon for this second pass.... I just need to get used to this new subject matter!

I hope the third pass will be sufficient to bring everything in balance, especially values and contrasts. I forgot how tedious it is to work on smaller formats with relative details! I just had a left over piece of rolled canvas that was too small to accommodate my usual formats.

Las Terrenas - step I... part one of an unlimited series!

I've been longing for a while to paint with acrylics or oils the places that I visited while traveling around the world over the last 30 years or so. In this unlimited series, I will focus on the areas that really caught my attention (in many instances, I will have watercolors and sketches to fall back on). A new challenge for me: I intend to address urban environments and incorporate people in my paintings as much as possible.

This first attempt is from my recent trip in the Dominican Republic. I rapidly laid out the preliminary colors this afternoon. This is a 20 X 20 canvas...

On the more experimental pole of my work, I intend to go abstract by depicting flocks of wild geese in extra large formats. As a teenager hunting with my father, I once saw a flock of Canada geese flying six feet over my head, an experience I will never forget. This series will be in honor of my father who will soon be 91 years of age.

I also intend to continue my exploration of the human figure using unusual cropping for more drama. In a nutshell... I've got my work cut out for the next 12 months or so!

Taking stock: where do I go from now?

As an artist, it's always interesting to know what happens to a piece once it's sold:

• the first one from the left ended up in an apartment in Namur, Belgium (my step son),
• the second one, in an "ashram" or "sanctuary" room in a Montreal residence (a friend of the muse and former Egyptian dancer),
• the third one, in my taichi instructor's residence in Montreal.

I'm glad that my art has the potential to bring joy and to become an integral part of people's life. This is partly what's driving me to produce.

As an artist though, continuous development remains a key objective and I'm now at the completion of two years of serious full time painting. Lately, I pretty much said what I had to say with my two main series within the limits of my model... so I'm due for a change!

I'd like to introduce more spontaneity in my work with less dependence on preliminary drawings on canvas. I'd like more color separation and much more contrast in color and texture. I'd like to avoid formula painting and initiate each work with the spirit of "beginner's mind". In this pursuit, I guess integrating any strong points (if any!) from previous works will be my next challenge!

Kauai beach scene two - final step... an attempt at contemporary realism... I'll leave it at that!

I think this one will complete my beach scene series featuring the muse... until my next vacation in August!

Although I want my style to be much more expressionistic... I had fun doing this one while embarrassing the muse once again! I ran out of gas doing the grass and left it relatively incomplete.

Note to self: I'd like to explore the female figure differently in the future... but how? I bought a book on Philip Pearlstein recently and was amazed by the variety of poses he uses, the unusual perspective he applies to his figures and his cropping of the figures. Could this be a lead?"