The True Self

This is a good example of a negative painting done with a limited palette.--notice the circular arrangement of the colors. 

The title comes from the Course In Miracles. White lilies represent purity  and they are at the center of our being. Our true self is what is left after we subtract our egos.  This true self  is our real self.   It is hard to see and connect with the true self because we carry so much in the unconscious we are not aware of.   Judgements also get in the way of seeing the true self and in the world we live in judgements are hard to escape.

Many of my paintings come from my desire to ask spiritual questions and seek answers. These issues are reflected in the way I portray my subjects.  Sometimes I call these  watercolors painted prayers.

The Illusions of the Ego

This is another painting inspired by my favorite book, The Course In Miracles.   The title comes from Chapter 4. It says, You can change your mind. When your mood tells you that you have chosen wrongly, and this is so whenever you are not joyous, then know this not to be.

I have experienced this myself many times. I can be very angry at something that happened to me that day. I stop for a moment and remember that I create my own reality and I don't have to be upset. I simply change the way I think about the situation. In other words I change my mind and turn anger into peace.

Carrie's Flower

This is a good example of what I call "broken borders".  Once this painting is framed the rounded shapes breaking into the colored center will be more prominent. It is like painting a puzzle and I just love the process.

Lesson #62- Forgiveness is My Function As the Light of the World

This is another example of the use of negative and positive space using geometric design. What cannot be seen is the framing. The mat is covered with  a prayer from the Course in Miracles - I have written this prayer is calligraphic script which I love almost as much as the painting process.  The prayer reads: "It is your forgiveness that will bring the world of darkness to the light".    It goes on to say "Remember that in every attack you call upon your own weakness, while each time you forgive you call upon the strength of Christ in you."

For more information about the Course in Miracles , go to ACIM   or The Foundation for  Inner Peace

Orange Lilies

This is a good example of negative and positive use of the space. This approach is very controlled by creating a carefully thought out under-painting ahead of time.  The orange lilies in the top square are the center of iinterest.

Using negative space in the background

The first image is a close up of the under-painting. This one has lots of yellow-orange, yellow, blue, blue-green, and yellow-green. Creating am interesting under-painting is the key to success in any negative painting.  Making sure the blues and oranges don't gray each other down is also challenging.

The second image shows some detail in the foliage surrounding the flowers.  Both negative ferns ( the light areas which were painted around the already existing underpainting) , and the positive ferns ( added on top in a darker pigment)  are clearly shown.

The final painting turned out well. I was happy with the changes in color  in the background. Variety is always a key to success in any painting in any medium. I glazed a few places with Daniel Smith's Luminescent Bronze. You can't see it in the photo but in person it adds just enough sparkle.

White Roses

 This is a close-up of the leaves in the painting below. Before painting the leaves it was necessary to place an under-painting of interesting colors. This under painting shows up in the veins after  they were painted in a negative fashion.

 I love painting white roses..... They may look white, but the petals are actually almost 75% tinted with blues, purples, and rose pink. It is difficulty to see in a picture, but the yellow is a  Daniel Smith pigment called Iridescent  gold . This color actually sparkles.