DOWN AT THE CEMENT CREEK

This is the latest and sixth painting in the "Wonderland Series".
Started the series a few months ago and I am completely obsessed with the giraffe character in these paintings. It seems I will take this subject matter to the limit and see what surprises may arise from the series as I am not able to let go of the creature yet.

I named the painting "Down at the Cement Creek" after a place from my childhood where we hung out and did things we didn't want adults to know about. Ha! Recently, I re-visited the cement creek and found all sorts of delicious urban art there. Apparently, the place still attracts the neighborhood kids and instead of simply writing things like, "Kim Loves Mike"or "F#*k You!", the kids now create beautiful works of art with their spray paint these days. Inspired by what I saw and being in awe of the beautiful works of art there, I decided to use the walls of the cement creek as a background for this piece.

Not yet completed, "Down at the Cement Creek" is a fairly large piece at 24" x 36" and is patiently waiting for my return. I had to let it sit for a few days to decide which direction I need to take next. Still undecided, I will let the painting resonate within my mind until the answers come. Sometimes waiting for my muse to arrive can be time consuming in itself. Nothing is worse for an artist than having the white canvas disease. Well, at least this is only the partial case here as I have managed to push some paint around on the canvas.

Speaking of unfinished art works, I have been asked the question, "When do you know that a piece of art is finished?" My reply to that is simple, "When it sells!" I don't think a piece of art is ever really finished and if it sits around in my studio, I am forever looking at it thinking, "What does it need now?"


"Riding Through Wonderland", the fifth painting in this series is on display and for sale at the Redtree Gallery. The show will run through the 29th of May 2009. http://www.redtreegallery.net/