Abstract Figures: "Loss of Innocence"

Ever since I began painting in November, 2004 I have been veering back and forth between representational art (i.e. realism and impressionism) and purely abstract, emotional works. I began consciously working to merge the two modes of painting, as they are both very strong currents in my artistic river.

I envisioned this manifesting in some sort of Klimt-like motif, where realistic figures merged with abstracted patterns and compositions. As it turns out, the energy and flow that my abstracts gain through the kinetic application of paint (e.g. dripped, squirted, thrown, or applied with force by brush or palette knife) lends humanity and movement to the gesture of the human figure. Two recent works, "Tides of Soul and Light" and "Loss of Innocence" (pictured) benefit from this method.

I was so pleased that my artist-friend P.A. Mueller purchased this work. She seems to understand my paintings of the female figure on a basic, intuitive level. She calls me her "brother from another mother" and she is my "sister from another mister." She also owns another of my abstracted figure paintings, "Abandon."

"Loss of Innocence" - 18"x24" acrylics on canvas