A new series, celebrating spring
I’ve been working away in the studio since February, creating a new series of paintings. At that time of year, it’s still very dark and rainy in Seattle so I decided to use a range of pinks and greens that reminds me of springtime. I discovered this palette a few years ago and have always wanted to come back to it.
I love working with a limited palette, as it allows me to freely experiment with other elements like shape and composition. The colors I used are: Indian Yellow, Titan Mars Pale (a pale pink), Alizarin Crimson, an assortment of creamy beige colors, black, and white.
The Indian Yellow mixed with the black yields the most gorgeous array of earthy yellow-greens. Below is a snapshot of my color mixing notes for this series. I love seeing how many different hues I can get from just a handful of colors.
A page from my color swatching sketchbook, showing the colors used in this series.
As always, I started this series with some journaling. “Spacious, raw, and luminous” were some of the words I wrote to describe the feelings I wanted the work to evoke. I also wrote that I wanted to focus on big shapes and raw, childlike marks.
Below is a peek at the early stages of the series. I completed “Superbloom,” the 18x18” on the right, very quickly. That’s probably because it was an older painting with many layers already built up. I’d never felt that it was finished and decided to re-work it. I love how it turned out.
Meanwhile, the large painting on the left now looks very different, but is still in progress. It just goes to show how each painting takes its own time to evolve!
The series in progress
I incorporated some of my favorite materials, such as collage on Japanese Kozo paper, charcoal, and water-soluble acrylic pigment sticks. I love the texture of the Kozo paper and how it melts into the surface. And I always love a good stick for drawing and applying paint!
Gradually, over many weeks, each painting came into its own. I love how even though they all share the same palette, each one turned out quite different.
Spring always feels like a fresh start, a season of renewal, and unfolding. To me, these pieces capture the essence of beauty emerging from the earth and the sense of possibility and joy that comes with that. I hope you can feel it too.
The series completed and framed.
Clockwise from the upper left are: “April come she will” (25x21”), “Superbloom” (19x19”), “Fresh from the earth” (25x25”), “Lovely day” (9x9”), and “Rooted” (13x13”). All sizes noted include the raw maple frame.
Each of these paintings will be featured in an upcoming show at the Matzke Gallery on Camano Island. The show opens May 3 and will run through June 29, 2025. The gallery is tucked away in the woods surrounded by a lovely 10-acre sculpture park. Two state parks are nearby. It’s well worth a visit!
This work is not yet on my website, but if you’re interested in any of the pieces, you can contact the gallery directly or contact me and I’ll put you in touch with them.
