DREAMSCAPES
The Dreamscapes series is New for 2023. The idea developed in a somewhat spectacular way. I am primarily a studio painter or a plein air painter (painting on scene in some natural locale). I have never painted in demo’s while teaching a class or showing how I paint to an audience. In fact, I have never painted in front of an audience. In the Fall of 2022, I proposed to a gallery director to do a show and have a Show Opening where I paint in front of an audience. The goal was to have a Show Opening and “engage” the viewers in something more than passive observation. If the viewer observed the creation process and was intrigued, perhaps a sale would be made. Also, since these paintings are non-objective and abstract, a greater awareness might ensue with buyers and collectors who are less experienced with abstract works. Who knows? In any event, the gallery director loved the idea. THEN, I knew that I had to learn to paint in front of an audience. These paintings completely emerged from within my being. There was little or no planning, and all the painting occurred in one sitting. I tried to get myself into a mental zone and paint. The results were dreamy, hence the title of the series Dreamscapes. I often painted these pieces early in the morning when I listen to Y0-Yo Ma or David Darling (Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard come later in the day), and the sonatas really put me into the zone. So, I decided to call the pieces Dreamscape Sonatas.