"A Canadian portrait"... trying to use paint and textures to communicate something!

This last painting started as a full figure and ended up in this fashion...

A simpler composition emphasizing the essential...

In the end, I settled for an encaustic effect (picture taken under intense yellow lighting), which I've never really used in my years of experimentation.

Buffalo woman, tackling the smaller scale figure...

Because I have favoured painting large scale faces up to now, gaining freedom in the painting of smaller scale figures has been a challenge...

This 28" X 28" painting points to possibilities using loose brush strokes driven by less attachment to a realistic rendering...

After two and a half years of live model drawing, I would like to go with pure imagination rather than relying on reference materials, i.e., photos or drawings. Imagination is stronger than reality!

Experimenting with paint: "California sunrise"!

In the midst of my current series I decided to interject with an experiment on paint application...

In the recent past, I have been interested in  the creation of images on different supports, in a way focusing less on paint application and brush stroke effects. Surrounded by abstract artists, it's tempting to explore a "paint for the sake of paint" kind of approach. Balancing abstraction and figuration is definitely a key objective in 2016.

Completing a couple of painting projects... "At your own risk" and "Messenger"...

I spent the month of January working at the completion of two paintings for my series on Native women...

After somewhat exploring the disappearing image, I decided to inject more punch by exploiting the image of a weerwolf...

Note: I'm satisfied with my exploration of new painting surfaces (integrating raw canvas, mylar, Chinese rice paper and wire screening) using acrylics and charcoal... but the urge to depart dramatically from quasi photographic renditions is getting stronger. I think it's time to go for more freedom... more abstraction in my figuration...

"Cry wolf" (20" X 48") - Shamanism in my painting!

This series on Native women offers me the opportunity to delve into subjects that really matter to me, i.e., native cultures and Nature...

The attraction I have for primitive designs superimposed over pure realism is undeniable.. and I feel the need to follow suit.

Note:The expression "cry wolf" suggests a false alarm, crying for nothing. In North American Indian mythology, wolves represent courage, energy, protection (and destruction). Many tribes see wolves as ancestors. The idea of unleashing a wolf pack while shouting "wolf", as a means of defending oneself, became irresistible!

Pursuing my series on Native women- "Fly like an eagle" and "Cry wolf"...

During the last 4 weeks or so, I have managed to complete one painting and start a couple of new ones:

I have reverted back to using Mylar and wire screening along with Chinese rice paper on raw canvas. With this series I try to leverage Native American mythology while responding to current issues affecting women in northern communities...

Note: Haven't figured out a title for the left one!

Missing (36" X 48") - An experimental painting to start a new series!

During my last painting exhibition, somebody suggested to me to do a series on Native women, an interesting idea considering the recent press on the alarming disappearance of numerous Native women in Canada over the last 2-3 decades. I did a prototype painting using Mylar and Chinese rice paper over raw canvas. I painted using acrylics and a very fine type of charcoal...

The idea was to create an elusive image which seems to disappear when viewed from an angle...