Early on, I painted a few “Jackson Pollock” style paintings without knowing they were similar to his works. During this time period, I experimented with color, method and material.
I found some quarter-inch, sanded plywood that I like and some five-sixteenths underlayment that also works well. I tried having these pieces cut, but the saws at the store are not precise enough, and the pieces needed a ton of sanding. So, I settled on pre-cut two by four boards. This size is small enough for me to manipulate but large enough to fill all those three-foot-wide wall spaces in numerous homes. I felt a little worried about choosing to paint on these boards until I read that many of the great painters painted on wood.
I learned my initial painting methodology from a YouTube video by Glenn Farquhar, an Australian abstract artist. I copied what he said to do, and it produced really good results. I liked the way he felt confident that anyone could produce the kinds of quality paintings that he did and also get paid good money for them. At the time, I wasn’t at all interested in the money part. I just wanted decent abstract art for my house. As soon as I had produced several paintings using his method, my methodology and experimentation took off. I paint by pouring, using brushes, dripping paint, using sponges and using my fingers. All of it feels right to me.
I’m not a natural when it comes to combining colors. Consequently, I spent a long time in the paint store selecting the color pallette that pleased me. I will always be adjusting those basic colors, but for the most part, I have settled on the hues that I prefer. I feel comfortable combining those colors, as I paint, and I have finally learned how to gain some depth in my paintings as I decide which colors go where.
