Aura III

An aura is scientifically explained as an electrical field surrounding a body, different pale hues implying, variation in strength.. Frankly I have been occasionally observing them since my youth, so too have others. I have come to believe that the particular hue implies more than electrical strength, rather the age of the soul. While running the reservoir in Central Park, May ‘16, I started imagining a new figure…suspended, a body not hindered by gravity, potentially a fitting way to express spiritual freedom, a vivid spirit moving inside also. What I saw in my minds eye was a tangle of flesh suspended in space, the origin of the paintings “Aura III, IV” occurred there and then, on the running track. Later that day I embarked on new sketches, contemplating a degree of logic in setting (background) to balance the impossible poses. That balance of irrational subject and logical setting, seduces the viewer in ways that are difficult for one to resist.

On sheets of white paper I started sketching designs of women as if on a trapeze, always considering the resulting spaces between their contorted limbs, spine, torso head, hands and feet. Maximizing the negative resulting shapes between give an apparently realistic image abstract strength. Through the negative space, one can also glimpse the background too, essential to the story.. I made many sketches approx.’ 30 attempts, abut 10-12 were plausible candidates to paint on canvas. The drawing stage lasted 10 days. In bringing a raw idea to life, I would need to add femininity to the imagined poses. The danger when contorting and twisting a female figure, the result may be more monsters, than beauty. I am dedicated to avoiding this. I seek to represent “woman” at her idealized best, considering the poise of ballet and grace of sport; supple lines, pointed toes and self-aware.

The two backgrounds; circus tent interior and the Pantheon of Rome are completely freehand. Photographs were not transferred, rather I glanced at photos of the Pantheon for architectural accuracy and closed the book. I firmly believe in the fallibility of the human hand and imagination. Constant contemplation and lengthy adjustments of perspective and scale ensued. The backgrounds are not painted in oil, rather with extremely matt, flat finish tempera (Flash).

Finally the time arrived when the detailed figures assume their pose, when the background is complete. The final stage of rendering the aerialist, and then brushing in the ribbons of color aura electrical fields follows. Several more days of adjustment and re-coloring took place. The last step is encasing the Spirit or Soul, after months of work (Pantheon), the final hair-raising work session and lasted two days. The encasement is exactly that. Although not discernable in digital image, the figure has a ¼ inch of liquid resin on top of it(hi-gloss). The pour of resin is a very dicey technique and all can be lost. But if successful, defines the black and colored aura area inhabited on painting surface by flesh, as clear protoplasm. Visually it is super-shiny-brilliant, contrasting the extreme matt background interior. The result is an invention of mine; I have never seen it done before.

Aura IV

An aura is scientifically explained as an electrical field surrounding a body, different pale hues implying, variation in strength.. Frankly I have been occasionally observing them since my youth, so too have others. I have come to believe that the particular hue implies more than electrical strength, rather the age of the soul. While running the reservoir in Central Park, May ‘16, I started imagining a new figure…suspended, a body not hindered by gravity, potentially a fitting way to express spiritual freedom, a vivid spirit moving inside also. What I saw in my minds eye was a tangle of flesh suspended in space, the origin of the paintings “Aura III, IV” occurred there and then, on the running track. Later that day I embarked on new sketches, contemplating a degree of logic in setting (background) to balance the impossible poses. That balance of irrational subject and logical setting, seduces the viewer in ways that are difficult for one to resist.

On sheets of white paper I started sketching designs of women as if on a trapeze, always considering the resulting spaces between their contorted limbs, spine, torso head, hands and feet. Maximizing the negative resulting shapes between give an apparently realistic image abstract strength. Through the negative space, one can also glimpse the background too, essential to the story.. I made many sketches approx.’ 30 attempts, abut 10-12 were plausible candidates to paint on canvas. The drawing stage lasted 10 days. In bringing a raw idea to life, I would need to add femininity to the imagined poses. The danger when contorting and twisting a female figure, the result may be more monsters, than beauty. I am dedicated to avoiding this. I seek to represent “woman” at her idealized best, considering the poise of ballet and grace of sport; supple lines, pointed toes and self-aware.

The two backgrounds; circus tent interior and the Pantheon of Rome are completely freehand. Photographs were not transferred, rather I glanced at photos of the Pantheon for architectural accuracy and closed the book. I firmly believe in the fallibility of the human hand and imagination. Constant contemplation and lengthy adjustments of perspective and scale ensued. The backgrounds are not painted in oil, rather with extremely matt, flat finish tempera (Flash).

Finally the time arrived when the detailed figures assume their pose, when the background is complete. The final stage of rendering the aerialist, and then brushing in the ribbons of color aura electrical fields follows. Several more days of adjustment and re-coloring took place. The last step is encasing the Spirit or Soul, after months of work (Pantheon), the final hair-raising work session and lasted two days. The encasement is exactly that. Although not discernable in digital image, the figure has a ¼ inch of liquid resin on top of it(hi-gloss). The pour of resin is a very dicey technique and all can be lost. But if successful, defines the black and colored aura area inhabited on painting surface by flesh, as clear protoplasm. Visually it is super-shiny-brilliant, contrasting the extreme matt background interior. The result is an invention of mine; I have never seen it done before.

No Room For Doubt

I never expected to paint the woman entirely in red. I had readied the background; anticipation was building within as to how I was going to color her. I wanted to paint a woman who’s emotion was %100 unified, unequivocal,” No Room for Doubt”. She loved someone with her entire being, I wanted this expressed. Soon after I unscrewed the tubes of red, stopping would not be possible. It was strange, memorable, wonderful work session, worth noting here. As soon as I started applying the red oil paint, my heart raced, my breath shallow’d and I was barely able to control the material, the painting was driving itself.Applying a brushy red on white surface was going to be like diving off a cliff and hoping for deep water.Best to enjoy the view because the landing could be dicey.I saw the color arrangement in my minds eye from the beginning. Yet I was surprised when the red/white ruled the cooler hue easily. Her pose implies forward movement(viewers right).Even the background forms are somewhat reminiscent the dust cloud raised when ‘The Roadrunner’(cartoon) took off at full speed ,spinning his wheels(feet) momentarily and would appear at full speed exiting the cloud of dust.

The Strong Jester

This work was a giving into the seductiveness of the brushed metal surface. I had included the metal sections in one or two earlier 3-D works, becoming more attracted by results all the time. My preoccupation with a way to show the essence of man, is to represent man at his best. This would be achieved thru the pose it has been an ongoing quest. The sketch where I developed this pose was done with a dried out magic marker on scrap of ripped paper. An inauspicious beginning , for a somewhat imposing fellow. From there I leaped to an oil sketch, the blue-green color was largely determined by the reddish tint the copper sheet. Prussian blue is a complement with enough strength and contrast to stand up to the copper. The fundamental urge to reveal this powerful body was oddly accompanied by the desire to decorate him in a silly clown outfit. I imagined this picture at first with the costume clinging and billowing from powerful limbs. As it evolved in sketch form to canvas ,the Jester began to apply color from his paintbrush directly on to what would be his garment as it spins off the canvas role in the bottom right.

Walking Female

The idea here was to paint the figure as if the viewers line of site was at the level of the figures naval, straight on. Normally we look at a figure directly in the eye. To view the torso and limbs one looks down. To eliminate the feet and head was unexpectantly exhilarating. So many difficult details, the net advantage of inclusion?…. nonessential. It is tempting to discuss this painting strictly on the basis of color.It would not be unusual for me to paint the background first as was done here. All of my paintings begin as abstraction. The figure is introduced later via, hallucination, accident or preconceived intent .The delicacy of pastoral blue and zinc yellow background would create inevitable difficulties with the foreground figure color. Alchemy and thinking in reverse, were useful in determining colors which did not alienate the background of WALKING FEMALE .Cutting up the canvas, three-dimensional-izing the pieces, resembling all of the pieces askew, introduces a whole new set of surfaces, which turn out to be very useful when backed into a color problem .The new surfaces provide a location for subordinate colors which allow not quite complements to cooperate .A group of colors can be as so many dominos you alter one, and you know what happens.An artist may have a emotional steak in a given color I’m very fond of the blue/yellow background,the edges which are turned outward give sensation of scratching the retinal nerve, when discussing paintings where theres pain theres pleasure.

David Bowie

1999

Oil On canvas over sculpted foam

50x56x5 Inches

Blue Dance

Oil On Canvas Over Sculpted Forman, Baas Relief

46x70 Inches

This picture started out as an oil, flat on canvas, I had every intention of keeping that way. One of the better backgrounds I had yet lucked upon, nice movement and a satisfying composition of warm colors; ultramarine rose, earth orange , raw umber. I liked the gritty black line tracing throughout the rectangle like a cowboy wrangler's lasso, under, around, below and over the top. .  On the other side of the studio I was delighted with a pose which emerged out of group of sketches that I had worked on for several weeks. A drawing of a dancer; I eliminated one of the arms and enlarged the other to balance the leg carriage underneath. The hair streaming off to the left compensated for the absent arm. I was very fond of the torso and wanted to present it unfettered by limbs, like a classical bust. The shoulders, breast shapes and tummy are an arrangement that fit together in a most appealing way, my favorite precinct of the picture.    What I did not anticipate was the warm medium dark back ground would not be easily overcome by a cool hued figure. Warms tend to dominate cools when located behind. To create contrast it, the body would have to be a very light blue and….it just did not work!   I was blinded by belief and anticipation , the requisite optimism i I need to create something from nothing ;I did not expect it would fail,..   The figure would not visually lift off, separate from its background. Being an airborne dance movement increased this imperative. I brought the picture up from my studio to the gallery and soon I overheard a disparaging comment. I was crestfallen, dashed, hurt…destroyed!...the painting returned to the storage rack for two years. The observer was correct.  However during that period I never stopped considering it, pulling it out and reconsidering strategies , contemplating a the means of liberating the figure. How to let it soar above the background?  After the success of Black Beach Beauty, came an epiphany; I saw in my minds eye the gleaming form which now appears to the left.  I cut out the blue figure in canvas, so many pieces dropped to the floor. Over period of six weeks I carved a three dimensional figure and then transformed the background into undulating planes interposed.

Bruce

Oil on Canvas over Sculpted Foam

68X55 Inches

What Have I Become

2012

72 X 48 X 4 Inches

Background: Oil on canvas over sculpted

Figure: Oil on sculpted foam

Frame: Polished, welded aluminum

If possible I like the being depicted to have a clearly stated mood. It is important to stop well short of illustrating this, rather have it become evident, arise from body language, select facial features, color and fragmentation and paint handling. The head despairingly propped by the right hand the omnipotent detachment of the left arm conveys a self divided. I was particularly pleased by the odd composure of the two legs, suggesting frontal and profile simultaneously. The isolated torso tilted left at length south to north contribute to her resignation. The resulting spaces allow the sap green and burnt sienna background to come through. They performed nicely contrasting the highlighted and contoured Prussian blue body

Drumming Her Fingers

          2013

         60x48 Inches

         Oil on canvas over sculpted foam

         Bronze frame

A figure at rest allows weight shifts and limb locations within the restraints of gravity. A fascinating sculptural form is the thrill I am always seeking. She is expectant, slightly anxious but poised. These elements were worked out quickly on a scrap of paper made at an outdoor café while observing a New Yorker. The commitment to a color scheme occurred quickly; as soon as I stained the raw canvas background with pale Earth Orange and transparent Zinc Yellow .The dark, cool body hues are dragged over with dry brushed cobalt Violet light. This is the point when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. A thin veil was applied of sand over the entire canvas before painting the muse.This allows the joy of gently scumbled oil paint over her limbs. I will cherish this painting for the single brush stroke which begins at the right breast, includes her chin and ends with flipped hair.

Girl With Trumpet

Black Beach Beauty

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas Over Sculpted Foam

48X65 Inches

This painting was an unexpected turning point in my work and possibly my life. I had decided ‘Black Beach’ would be my last 3-D painting. That being said, I would give it every opportunity to succeed..I had planned the passages in advance; the black sand background, copper slatted lounge chair diagonally positioned, half on beach and half in water.  I saw it in my minds eye as a compositional lock..  I would handle the figure very differently than ever before. Although somewhat abstract I would sculpt her parts entirely round and imbed them into the chair.   In previous outings the roundness of human form was achieved through illusion; illustrated on flat canvas planes and interposed with one another.. In ‘Black Beach Beauty’ foam would be sculpted round with a smooth stone patina surface, painted pale Naples Yellow. I envisioned something as shiny as automobile bumper.   From the beginning the thrill of the 3-D paintings was; the sculptural feel wedded to the painterly. Quite honestly , my first allegiance was to painting. In this work the sculptural element presides. An observer made a comment during the progress of this work-  ” the lines in the sand look very French”. I was uplifted to hear this. The lines in the sand lend simplicity like only line can. It  was my way of importing wind to the beach albeit with French curves. I wanted to keep the body abstract and avoid descriptive devices .Rendering the face in simple line also was a natural extension of the drawing and lent a dash of futurism.  Finally throughout the sketching and planning stages ;the mood of the water was going to be a roiling frolic. The reaction of the sea to the presence of beauty of the beautiful girl on the chair.. I let this notion remain unchecked in my mind. With every wave piece I sculpted the feeling and the vision increased and the exuberance of the water was paramount. When rendering the sea in-a classical painting technique or sculpting it abstract, one is consulting the laws of physics... chaos and order into beauty.

Autumn Dance

Oil on Canvas Over Sculpted Foam

60 x 72 Inches

This painting can be discussed as a work of abstract form or…as a figure moving through space. Something an artists understand experientially, what can be referred to as the background color evolved from an initial color choice which would allow the texture of the under painting to to be visible through the surface layer. The first step in this painting was a consideration of the last step.

Not My Eyes

52x70x4 Inches

I have encountered people who experienced life vicariously through movies. I will admit to wanting to see something or someone so I manage to create it in a painting. This process started out long ago in far more modest scale as a boy of 16. A visual condition which defines an original work like no other is texture. Sculptural relief really is only a texture scaled up. In ‘Not My Eyes’ as often is true I needed incompatible elements. I wanted you and I to see this supple and beautiful draping pose. I was even willing to paint her in cool turquoise in contrast to primarily warm background with cool complimentary accents. Not allowing you to escape ‘looking’ at her. To make something compelling in the best way is to make it irresistible and morally repugnant simultaneously. Of course the repugnant part is where the denial starts. I was equally committed to the sensuality of the back ground as the pose. To see this painting in person is to be simultaneously caught by its texture/color and sexuality. When I speak of this painting I use the term barroom nude. That does not come close to revealing how I feel about this girl, this fantasy, this picture though. The challenge here, not the only one by any means, was to paint the reclining woman with her legs akimbo retain dignity while providing intrigue for the audience and myself. Let the seduction happen . More like get out of the way.

Brownie

2014

Oil on board, Internally sculpted, Collection of the artist

44 x 60 x 1/34 Inches