Golden Coast

Lately I’ve been thinking so much about two things in my paintings: simplifying the design & capturing the feeling. I keep asking questions about everything in the painting—does it help the design or take away? Am I adding too much detail where it’s distracting? I love in figurative paintings to just paint human-like shapes that are proportionate but so loose. It’s my favorite when they’re impressionist enough to be you, me, all of us. The second question of capturing the feeling is so powerful because it forces me out of preconceived rules (the sky is blue) and into ideas instead—what do I want the painting to FEEL like? What did standing at the beach with salt in my hair and sand in my toes and pockets full of seashells and my family all painted in that last golden glow of light from the end of the day standing on the dock cause we didn’t want to leave FEEL like? Oh yes. THAT. That informs the colors, the light, the palette, the MOOD. That is what is so much fun to try to capture in paint.

[“Golden Coast” 24x30, available in one week at @artattheparkutah]