Dissertation Abstracts

After a long hiatus...

I just completed my first series of abstract paintings. These paintings were gifts for my Dissertation Committee and each one includes a small section of text from the abstract of my dissertation.

The paintings are mixed media (acrylic and collage on paper).

A painting of the Oregon Coast

Finished this week.

Another Balboa Park Painting

A smaller one this time - only 5" by 5"

Two Still Life Paintings

Both of them painted with a very limited palette. In the first I was thinking of Andrew Wyeth's work using the minimum of color.

In the second I painted the objects virtually straight on but wanted to enable the viewer to visualize the objects as 3D by overlapping the objects and making use of shadow and reflected light.

Mixed Media

I have been experimenting with less traditional watercolor methods lately - I'm particularly enjoying mixing watercolor with gouache and charcoal to get interesting combinations of transparent, translucent and opaque and also to combine drawn and painted effects. Here's a sketch - of a very wet and wild day at the Oregon coast - that I finished recently.

Balboa Park Paintings

I recently finished two paintings for a charity auction for Balboa Park in San Diego. I enjoyed having an assignment like this - having a specific project but being free to choose my subjects within that parameter. Balboa Park is one of my favorite places - a very busy place with a huge variety of activities - but also containing so many different areas within it that the character of the park is quite diverse. The first painting was of a row of bikes standing in one corner of the park. It allowed me to contrast some of the historic architecture with a contemporary subject - and I loved the "character" of the different bikes. In the second picture I chose Alcazar Garden, which is very secluded and has an almost medieval quality. It is surrounded by a portico - looking through an arch over the garden provided a wonderful "contre-jour" effect in the sunlight. The colors were very intense and reminded me of a stained-glass window. Overall I was pleased with the final pictures.