American woman (30" X 40") ... Threading (treading) on thin ice with the American flag!

Capitalizing on my stay in the Eastern Townships, I finished this painting in the larger studio, using my usual collage technique, and...

... wanting to add a companion painting to my previous painting "American dream". In the process, I couldn't resist this selfie, in keeping with a recent trend from fellow artists...

... demonstrating their creative rage during the painting process...

Beautiful and plastered... getting a warm feeling with my usual methods!

After a series of experiments, I took a breather with this last painting...

...reverting back to my usual approach on raw canvas. The "decayed" image is always dear to my heart!

Note: In my view, a step back is essential before a leap forward!

A last experiment before getting back to a more normal stream of works!

Over the last few years, I have favoured dark or black backgrounds for my subject matters. I've been thinking for a while about adapting my usual collage technique to pale or white backgrounds...

I see a potential for more calligraphic renditions on pale backgrounds. However, I may need to tone down my colors...

Note: I used a loose piece of canvas for this experiment

Dragon lady - Using Mylar as sole support!

After some collage experiments with Mylar, I decided to go all out with Mylar as painting support for acrylics...

In retrospect, I realize that its portability (in essence, a sheet of polyesther) could be convenient in my live model classes. For my regular painting, I prefer raw canvas which allows me to stain and to paint...

Note: I will keep Mylar in the back burner for now, saving it for special effects

Miss Lilac...

Upon my return from a mini vacation, I finished this painting in a hurry...

... anxious to try my hands at new approaches. Mylar, fairly heavy wire screening and Chinese rice paper were used in my collage for textural effects. I used more fluid paint with this one, i.e., more freedom in paint application (a new trend?). The painting expresses certain of my feelings (wishes?) in the face of recent events in that part of the world....

Note: Without changing the way I paint, I like the dramatic impact that different supports can have on the final look of my paintings. Avoiding boredom is of the essence!

The Avatar... A painting to test Mylar!

I've been wanting to paint on Mylar for a long time. This subject matter was perfect for this technique...

This "space age" look would have been close to impossible to replicate on raw canvas, my usual support.

Update: I decided to implement minor modifications to improve the balance in this composition...

Note: In actuality, this is a collage of Chinese paper and Mylar over canvas

Back from a vacation in the Ogunquit area (US East coast)...

An interesting 5 days in that part of the US, enjoying the beautiful beaches and the art galleries...

I could not miss the Ogunquit museum of American art featuring a private collection of Andrew Wyeth's watercolors and drawings. A John Marin painting was also featured. However, the artist who blew my top off was Richard B. Lethem (www.richardbrownlethem.com/). At 81 years of age, this artist packs a lot of power in his works... combining mystique, bold colors and total freedom of execution. Needless to say, seeing works from an artist like that can be transformative...