Color Grid

After drawing patterns inside the triangles of several grids, I experimented with
color inside a grid, using color pencils. I drew the sketch below in a small sketchbook
I had. Although I primarily used it as a scrapbook, I sometimes used it for playing with
art media.

 Beginning in 2002, I took a liking to the color orange. A film poster and an art ed convention logo both used oranges in pairs in their designs: one like glasses over eyes and the other as bicycle wheels. The coincidence appealed to me at the time. Also, Uniball came out with a pen set including an orange pen. Now and then I have color obsessions. That's how this sketch began. I played with other colors while deciding what I might want to do for a finished piece.

color pencil on paper, 5.5" x 8.5"

Third Ink Grid

Here is the third ink grid I drew.

ink on paper, 8.5" x 11"

Second Ink Grid

Here is a second ink grid I drew.

ink on paper, 8.5" x 11"

How My Current Art Began

In the fall of 2001 I was a talent visual art teacher responsible for a caseload of elementary talent art students at four schools. I was filling in for a talent art teacher who was on sabbatical. When I tried to explain the art term “value” to my students all I saw were blank confused looks.

So I came up with a grid of triangles. I handed each of them a grid to draw patterns in each triangle – lines and dots. Before having them start, I held up a sample grid I had drawn. When they finished drawing patterns, I held up each page so they could view the results from a distance.

And what does this have to do with my dot art? Well, this is where my current art began. I created this patterned grid. After that I played with color in a similar grid. These were rough ideas leading up to my dot paintings. Below is the first of three ink drawings I made.

ink on paper, 8.5" x 11"

Stop/Go

"Stop/Go" was inspired by the movie "The Mexican" from 2001. Brad Pitt's character is
at a stop light which becomes a pivotal moment for him. It captured my indecision
at the time.

In this piece I wanted to play with variations of the complementary colors "red" and "green". This piece reflects my fascination with Victor Vasareley artwork. However, in rendering the drawing I wanted to keep it more expressive and soft edged.

colored pencil on paper, 15.25" x 24"

Three Years Later

It would be three more years before I'd come back to dots in my artwork. And even then, I failed to get a picture of the piece before it sold. It was a long narrow horizontal color pencil drawing. The background was a transition of color behind scattered dots. I barely had a chance to exhibit the piece before it suddenly sold at a show.

Green Dreaming

This is one three paintings from 1995; however I never completed the other two. They remain only partially done. For some reason those paintings never really clicked.

I worked on this one during a Fine Arts day at a girl's Catholic school. Every year the school invites artists to demonstrate or have hands on materials for the girls to try. The girls visit each artist table. I had several pieces I painted on that day.

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 16"