She Was...

She Was is an abstract painting done using variations on the doodleism style. The variations include surrealistic landscapes, dream-like forms, and a sense of free creativity. The surrealistic landscape is best seen in the middle right portion of the work, a psychedelic sunset and mushroom are on the horizon (are they related), and the colours are fauvist- or perhaps tie-dye?

When doing a large painting like this, there is always a temptation to overwork the detail in parts. In the old days I started on the bottom right with a lot of detail, and by the time I got to the top left I was bored of the painting and tried to rush it. The problem then, was that the attention to detail was inconsistent and distracting at times.
 After awhile I learned to begin with the focal point because when you begin a painting that is when your enthusiasm and creativity is at its peak. In this work I began with the center elements as well as the funky landscape in the mid right. As a result, the focal point has the most detail and complex techniques which holds the viewers interest.
 
These outer sections were filled in in a matter of hours, in fact the entire top left portion with the orange mountain and blue sky was completed in about 20 minutes, as compared to the central shapes which may have occupied over five hours each.

22x30" cold press. January 2014.