" Shadows and Dust " Why Fear, Where Courage?

Whenever we are trying something new, we are introduced to our old nemesis, fear!  Why are we afraid?  We are afraid of making a mistake, displeasing others.  When we do something we tap into creative power to change our environment and our destiny.  That also can tap into fear, perhaps we are afraid of an ancient fear of the envious, the critical, the guardians of the past.  When I started this painting I knew I wanted to do something a little different.  I wanted to play with color, but was not interested in doing something wild yet.  I love the sculptural qualities of driftwood, the twists and turns of the bleached wood, the strong shadow play on the sand.  The movement in the shapes of the boneyard trees gives them an air of humanity, or calligraphy, or even mythology.  I pursued the mythological and classical sentiments in a couple of the earlier pieces, but in this I wanted to push the envelop on the classical, into the color field area.  I had considered a more radical approach with flamboyant brushwork, but ultimately decided to pursue the sculptural line texture instead.  So another day for the flamboyant.  Baby steps!  My inspirations are from the work of Raimonds Staprans and Wayne Thiebaud. 

Below is the overview and below that a few closeups
to show the thin threads of brighter color added.

As you can see I was adding brighter color in the thinnest threads to push the edges like an abstraction, where the cool and warm light could meet and interact in the eye at the periphery.

I am adding here some early videos I made while in the process of starting.  I didn't have energy or time to show the later process, because I did not know myself where the process would lead!