…and now it’s time to share the results with you! All of these Dimensional Abstracts were created in 2016…yes, I have been busy! A year ago, I began experimenting in earnest with “skins” made of various acrylic mediums made by Golden Paints. This company manufactures a magical array of gels and pastes along with a cavalcade of exciting pigments in three basic categories: Heavy Body, Fluid, and High Flow. It’s my dream to own every color in every category, of course. High Flow pigments are like ink, and can even be used in air brushes or dip pens. But my favorite use for them is to squeeze a drop or two into a puddle or stream of water and enjoy the magic! They are expensive, but that’s because the color is so powerful that a tiny drop goes a long way. The Fluid Acrylics are thicker, more like the tempera paints we all had as children, but also extremely powerful. Obviously, the Heavy Body pigments are the thickest but are still very useful even in my “flowing” sessions. I have learned that they provide an excellent first layer when applied by brush to the highly textured surfaces I have been creating this year. They can be diluted with water and various mediums but then the Fluid Acrylics might step in to do this type of job more effectively.

Yes, I do enjoy talking about my paints, I know, but I also hope that others might learn from my experiments…and every painting here is an experiment that began with the words, “Why not…?”

Art has frequently been a healing force in my life. Art has been a way to express love. Often, when I was commissioned to paint a pet portrait, it was an expensive gift from a loved one or friend to the owner of the pet. This was always a humbling experience to me, to be the conduit for such love. Helped me to not lose faith in humanity, too. Now these paintings are so very different from my “old” work that it may shock some people who have appreciated my portraits. I can only hope that they will look more deeply into this new work and see the love I’ve put into each painting. It’s still my love for Nature that drives me, but now my overarching goal is to capture more of an almost unknowable essence or the forces behind the surfaces we gaze upon. I may still take on an occasional animal portrait (I have a few still to do, gathering the resource material can be a long process at times) because I never like to say Never!

Enjoy your visit and let us know what you think!

With love,

Donna