It occurred to me as i was working on this large piece, (began 2016, finished 2019) and the paint was not yet covering the "field," of brushwork. Mixing paint directly on the canvas and the blending and so forth, resulted in this mixology. The key was in recognizing when to quit mixing. i never worry if i have enough of one color on my palette -- i create it and reinvent colors as i work--and if i can't decide what color to use next, as in this piece, i often mix whatever is left over on my palette from the last time, (try to avoid wasted paint). This helps avoid the colors becoming too "sweet" or pure. And again, painting over a canvas that i am unsatisfied with results in these later ColorFields. Traces of the original are visible. It helps to neutralize the colors a bit, adds texture, make it more impactful and leave a path to where i had once been. Sometimes I resort to geometric shapes rather than brushing the paint on in a totally abstract way. It helps to focus. I like to choose juicy colors side by side.

The title came from a little girl and her friends who were selling their aRt outside my studio a few years back, Alison Wardlaw. I bought her small painting "Believe in Yourself" and have it in my studio to remind me every day. All "imperfections" are intentional and not "mistakes."

"Any Resemblance to Joan (is purely intentional)" (original title) homage to Joan Mitchell, created in 2016, re-named "Beneath the Surface" for a show at Marin MOCA (juror: Dewitt Cheng 2020) now re-named, "Believe in Yourself," in recognition of the little girls who were selling their artwork at my studio a few years back.

Exhibited: Marin MOCA, Novato, CA

Photographed by Joe McDonald, Digital Grange Studio, Petaluma, CA